UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


"HE  SAW  MARGUERITE  LIFTING  THE  TAPESTRY" 

Dumas,  Vol.  Three 


THE  WORKS  OF 

ALEXANDRE  DUMAS 

IN    THIRTY    VOLUMES 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  DRAWINGS  ON  WOOD  BY 
EMINENT    FRENCH    AND    AMERICAN    ARTISTS 


NEW    YORK 
P.    F.   COLLIER   AND    SON 

MCMIV 


V  ^ 

U  '-J  < - 


fa 


559 


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ADVERTISEMENT. 


THE  following  introductory  remarks  are  extracted  from 
a  review  of  Dumas'  Novels,  etc.,  in  BLACKWOOD'S  MAGA- 
ZINE. 

"  On  the  eighteenth  day  of  August,  1572,  a  great  festi- 
val was  held  in  the  palace  of  the  Louvre.  It  was  to  cele- 
brate the  nuptials  of  Henry  of  Navarre  and  Marguerite 
de  Valois. 

"  This  alliance  between  the  chief  of  the  Protestant  party 
in  France,  and  the  sister  of  Charles  IX.  and  daughter  of 
Catherine  de  Medicis,  perplexed,  and  in  some  degree 
alarmed,  the  Catholics,  whilst  it  filled  the  Huguenots  with 
joy  and  exultation.  The  king  had  declared  that  he  knew 
and  made  no  difference  between  Eomanist  and  Calvinist — 
that  all  were  alike  his  subjects,  and  equally  beloved  by 
him.  He  caressed  the  throng  of  Huguenot  nobles  and 
gentlemen  whom  the  marriage  had  attracted  to  the  court, 
was  affectionate  to  his  new  brother-in-law,  friendly  with 
the  Prince  of  Conde,  almost  respectful  to  the  venerable 
Admiral  de  Coligny,  to  whom  he  proposed  to  confide  the 
command  of  an  army  in  a  projected  war  with  Spain.  The 
chiefs  of  the  Catholic  party  were  not  behindhand  in'fol- 
lowing  the  example  set  them  by  Charles.  Catherine  de 
Medicis  was  all  smiles  and  affability ;  the  Duke  of  Anjou, 
afterwards  Henry  III.,  received  graciously  the  compli- 
ments paid  him  by  the  Huguenots  themselves  on  his  suc- 
cesses at  Jarnac  and  Moncontour,  battles  which  he  had 
won  before  he  was  eighteen  years  old  ;  Henry  of  Guise, 
whose  reputation  as  a  leader  already,  at  the  age  of  two-and 

iii 
DUMAS— VOL.  III.— 1 


iv  ADVERTISEMENT. 

twenty,  almost  equalled  that  of  his  great  father,  was  cour- 
teous and  friendly  to  those  whose  deadly  foe  he  had  so 
lately  been.  The  Duke  of  Mayenne  and  the  Admiral,  the 
Guise  and  the  Conde,  were  seen  riding,  conversing,  and 
making  parties  of  pleasure  together.  It  was  the  lion  lying 
down  with  the  lamb. 

"  On  the  twenty-second  of  August,  four  days  after  the 
marriage,  in  which  the  Huguenots  saw  a  guarantee  of  the 
peaceful  exercise  of  their  religion,  the  Admiral  de  Coligny 
was  passing  through  the  street  of  St.-Germain-1'Auxerrois, 
when  he  was  shot  at  and  wounded  by  a  captain  of  Petar- 
diers,  one  Maurevel,  who  went  by  the  name  of  Le  Tueur 
du  Roi,  literally,  the  King's  Killer.  At  midnight  on  the 
twenty-fourth  of  August,  the  tocsin  sounded,  and  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  began. 

"  It  is  at  this  stirring  period  of  French  history,  abound- 
ing in  horrors  and  bloodshed,  and  in  plots  and  intrigues, 
that  M.  Alexandre  Dumas  commences  '  Marguerite  de 
Vt\lois.'  Beginning  with  the  marriage  of  Henry  and  Mar- 
garet, he  narrates,  in  his  spirited  and  attractive  style, 
various  episodes,  real  and  imaginary,  of  the  great  massacre, 
from  the  first  fury  of  which  Henry  himself,  doomed  to 
death  by  the  remorseless  Catherine  de  Medicis,  was  only 
saved  by  his  own  caution,  by  the  indecision  of  Charles  IX., 
and  the  energy  of  Margaret  of  Valois.  The  marriage  be- 
tween the  King  of  France's  sister  and  the  King  of  Navarre 
was  merely  one  of  convenance,  agreed  to  by  Henry  for  the 
sake  of  his  fellow  Protestants,  and  used  by  Catherine  and 
Charles  as  a  lure  to  bring  'those  of  the  .Religion,'  as  they 
were  called,  to  Paris,  there  to  be  slaughtered,  unsuspecting 
and  defenseless.  Margaret,  then  scarcely  twenty  years  of 
age",  had  already  made  herself  talked  of  by  her  intrigues  ; 
Henry,  who  was  a  few  months  younger,  but  who,  even  at 
that  early  period  of  his  life,  possessed  a  large  share  of  the 
shrewdness  and  prudence  for  which  his  countrymen,  the 
Bearnese,  have  at  all  times  been  noted,  was,  at  the  very 
time  of  his  marriage,  deeply  in  love  with  the  Baroness  de 
Sauve,  one  of  Catherine  de  Medicis'  ladies,  by  whom  he 
was  in  his  turn  beloved.  But  although  little  affection 


ADVERTISEMENT.  v 

existed  between  the  royal  pair,  the  strong  links  of  interest 
and  ambition  bound  them  together ;  and  no  sooner  were 
they  married,  than  they  entered  into  a  treaty  of  political 
alliance,  to  which,  for  some  time,  both  steadily  and  truly 

adhered. 

*  *  *  *  * 

"  The  author,  according  to  his  custom,  introduces  a 
vast  array  of  characters,  for  the  most  part  historical,  all 
spiritedly  drawn  and  well  sustained.  M.  Dumas  may,  in 
various  respects,  be  held  up  as  an  example  to  our  history 
spoilers,  self-styled  writers  of  historical  romance,  on  this 
side  the  Channel.  One  does  not  find  him  profaning  public 
edifices  by  causing  all  sorts  of  absurdities  to  pass,  and  of 
twaddle  to  be  spoken,  within  their  precincts  ;  neither  does 
he  make  his  kings  and  beggars,  high-born  dames  and  pri- 
vate soldiers,  use  the  very  same  language,  all  equally  tame, 
colorless,  and  devoid  of  character.  The  spirited  and 
varied  dialogue  in  which  his  romances  abound,  illustrates 
and  brings  out  the  qualities  and  characteristics  of  his 
actors,  and  is  not  used  for  the  sole  purpose  of  making  a 
chapter  out  of  what  would  be  better  told  in  a  page.  In 
many  instances,  indeed,  it  would  be  difficult  for  him  to  tell 
his  story,  by  the  barest  narrative,  in  fewer  words  than  he 
does  by  pithy  and  pointed  dialogue. " 


CONTENTS. 


5HAPTER.  PACE 

I.  M.  De  Guise's  Latin 1 

II.  Henry  of  Navarre  and  Marguerite 13 

III.  The  Poet-King 25 

IV.  The  Evening  of  the  24th  of  August,  1572 36 

V.  Of  the   Louvre   in   Particular,  and  of  Virtue  in 

General 44 

VI.  The  Debt  Paid 51 

VII.  The  Night  of  the  24th  of  August,  1572 62 

VIII.  The  Victims 76 

IX.  The  Murderers 86 

X.  Death,  Mass,  or  the  Bastille 99 

XL  The  Hawthorn  of  the  Cemetery  of  the  Innocents. .  112 

XII.  Mutual  Confidence 122 

XIII.  How  there  are  Keys  that  Open  Doors  they  are  not 

Meant  for 129 

XIV.  Catherine  and  Marguerite. 139 

XV.  What  Woman  Wills,  Heaven  Wills  also 149 

XVI.  The  Body  of  a  Dead  Enemy  Always  Smells  Sweet.  163 

XVII.  The  Rival  of  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare 173 

XVIII.  The  Visit 179 

XIX.  The  Abode  of  Maitre  Rene,-  Perfumer  to  the  Queen- 
Mother 183 

XX.  The  Black  Hens 194 

XXI.  Madame  de  Sauve's  Chamber 201 

XXII.  "  Sire,  you  will  be  King !  " 210 

XXIII.  A  New  Convert 215 

XXIV.  The  Rue  Tizon  and  the  Rue  Cloche-Percee 227 

XXV.  Cherry  Mantle 237 

XXVI.  Marguerite 245 

XXVII.  The  Hand  of  Providence 250 

XXVIII.  The  Letter  from  Rome..,;.. 256 

XXIX.  The  Departure 360 

Tii 


viil  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAQB 

XXX.  Maurevel 265 

XXXI.  The  Boar-Hunt 269 

XXXII.  Fraternity 276 

XXXIII.  The  Gratitude  of  King  Charles  the  Ninth 283 

XXXIV.  Man  Proposes,  but  God  Disposes 288 

XXXV.  The  Two  Kings 297 

XXXVI.  Marie  Touchet 303 

XXXVII.  The  Return  to  the  Louvre  . .   307 

XXXVIII.  Interrogatories 316 

XXXIX.  Projects  of  Vengeance 323 

XL.  The  Atrides 333 

XLI.  The  Horoscope 343 

XLIL  Mutual  Confidences 349 

XLIII.  The  Ambassadors 358 

XLJV.  Orestes  and  Py lades 363 

XLV.  Orthon 370 

XL VI.  The  Hostelry  of  "  La  Belle  Etoile  " 382 

XLVH.  De  Mouy  de  Saint-Phale 389 

XLVHI.  Two  Heads  for  One  Crown 396 

XLJX.  The  Book  of  Venerie 405 

L.  The  Hawking  Party 411 

LI.  The  Pavilion  of  Francois  the  First 417 

LJI.  The  Examinations 422 

LJH.  Actaeon 432 

LTV.  Vincennes 439 

LV.  The  Figure  of  Wax 444 

LVI.  The  Invisible  Bucklers 452 

LVII.  The  Trial 457 

LVIH.  The  Torture  of  the  Boot 466 

LIX.  The  Chapel 472 

LX.  The  Place  Saint- Jean-en-Gr6ve 477 

LXI.  The  Headman's  Tower 482 

LXII.  The  Sweat  of  Blood 490 

LXIII.  The  Platform  of  the  Donjon  at  Vinceunes 494 

LXIV.  The  Regency 497 

LXV.  The  King  is  Dead  !  God  Save  the  King  ! 500 

LXVI.  Epilogue .  504 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

M.    DE   GUISE'S  LATIN. 

ON  Monday,  the  18th  of  August,  1572,  there  was  a 
splendid  fete  at  the  Louvre. 

The  windows  of  the  ancient  royal  residence  were  bril- 
liantly illuminated,  and  the  squares  and  streets  adjacent, 
usually  so  solitary  after  the  clock  of  Saint  Germain-!' Aux- 
errois  had  tolled  nine,  were  now  crowded  with  people, 
although  it  was  past  midnight. 

All  this  assemblage,  threatening,  pressing,  and  tur- 
bulent, resembled,  in  the  gloom,  a  dark  and  rolling  sea, 
each  swell  of  which  increases  to  a  foaming  wave  ;  this  sea 
extending  all  along  the  quay,  spent  its  waves  at  the  base 
•  of  the  walls  of  the  Louvre,  on  the  one  hand,  and  against 
the  Hotel  de  Bourbon,  which  was  opposite,  on  the  other. 
There  was  in  spite  of  the  royal  f 6te,  and  perhaps  even  be- 
cause of  the  royal  f£te,  something  threatening  in  the  as- 
pect of  the  people. 

The  court  was  celebrating  the  marriage  of  Madame 
Marguerite  de  Valois,  daughter  of  Henry  II.  and  sister 
of  King  Charles  IX.,  with  Henry  de  Bourbon,  King  of 
Navarre  ;  and  that  same  morning  the  Cardinal  de  Bour- 
bon had  united  the  young  couple  with  the  usual  ceremonial 
observed  at  the  marriages  of  the  royal  daughters  of 
France,  on  a  stage  erected  at  the  entrance  to  Ndtre 
Dame. 

1 


2  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

This  marriage  had  astonished  everybody,  and  occasioned 
much  surmise  to  certain  persons  who  saw  clearer  than 
others.  They  could  not  comprehend  the  union  of  two  par- 
ties who  hated  each  other  so  thoroughly  as  did,  at  this 
moment,  the  Protestant  party  and  the  Catholic  party  ;  and 
they  wondered  how  the  young  Prince  de  Conde  could  for- 
give the  Duke  d'Anjou,  the  king's  father,  for  the  death  of 
his  father,  assassinated  by  Montesquieu,  at  Jarnac.  They 
asked  how  the  young  Duke  de  Guise  could  pardon  Admiral 
de  Coligny  for  the  death  of  his  father,  assassinated  at 
Orleans  by  Poltrot  de  Mere.  Moreover,  Jeanne  de  Navarre, 
the  courageous  spouse  of  the  weak  Antoine  de  Bourbon, 
who  had  conducted  his  son  Henry  to  the  royal  espousals 
which  awaited  him,  had  died  scarcely  two  months  before, 
and  singular  reports  had  been  spread  abroad  as  to  this 
sudden  death.  It  was  everywhere  whispered,  and  in  some 
places  said  aloud,  that  she  had  discovered  some  terrible 
secret ;  and  that  Catherine  de  Medicis,  fearing  its  dis- 
closure, had  poisoned  her  gloves,  which  had  been  made  by 
one  Ben6,  her  fellow-countryman,  and  deeply  skilled  in 
such  affairs.  This  report  was  the  more  spread  and  be- 
lieved, when,  after  the  death  of  this  great  queen,  at  her 
soii^s  request,  two  celebrated  physicians,  one  of  whom  was 
the  famous  Ambroise  Pare,  were  instructed  to  open  and 
examine  the  body,  but  not  the  skull.  As  it  was  by  the 
smell  that  Jeanne  de  Navarre  had  been  poisoned,  it  was 
the  brain  alone  that  could  present  any  traces  of  the  crime, 
and  that  was  the  sole  part  excluded  from  dissection.  "We 
say  crime,  for  no  one  doubted  for  a  moment  that  a  crime 
had  been  committed. 

This  was  not  all.  The  king,  Charles,  in  particular  had 
set  his  heart  on  this  union,  which  not  only  re-established 
peace  in  his  kingdom,  but  also  attracted  to  Paris  the  prin- 
cipal Huguenots  of  France,  and  his  anxiety  almost  ap- 
proached to  obstinacy.  As  the  two  betrothed  belonged 
one  to  the  Catholic  religion  and  the  other  to  the  Reformed 
religion,  they  were  obliged  to  obtain  a  dispensation  from 
Gregory  XIII.,  who  then  filled  the  papal  chair.  The 
dispensation  was  slow  in  coming,  and  the  delay  causing 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  3 

great  uneasiness  to  the  late  Queen  of  Navarre,  she  had 
one  day  expressed  to  Charles  IX.  her  fears  lest  the  dis- 
pensation should  not  arrive  ;  to  which  the  king  replied  : 

"  Be  under  no  alarm,  my  dear  aunt.  I  honor  you 
more  than  I  do  the  Pope,  and  I  love  my  sister  more  than 
I  fear  his  holiness.  I  am  not  a  Huguenot,  bub  neither  am 
I  a  fool ;  and  if  the  Pope  makes  any  difficulties,  I  will  my- 
self take  Margaret  by  the  hand,  and  unite  her  to  your  sou 
in  the  sight  of  open  day." 

This  speech  was  soon  spread  through  the  Louvre  and 
the  city,  and  whilst  it  greatly  rejoiced  the  Huguenots, 
had  given  the  Catholics  wherewithal  to  reflect  upon  ;  and 
they  asked  one  another,  with  a  low  voice,  if  the  king  really 
meant  to  betray  them,  or  was  only  playing  a  part  which 
some  fine  morning  or  evening  might  have  an  unexpected 
finale. 

It  was  particularly  with  regard  to  Admiral  de  Coligny, 
who  for  five  or  six  years  had  been  so  bitterly  opposed  to 
the  king,  that  the  conduct  of  Charles  IX.  appeared  inex- 
plicable ;  after  having  put  on  his  head  a  price  of  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  golden  crowns,  the  king  now  swore 
by  him,  called  him  his  father,  and  declared  openly  that  he 
should  in  future  confide  the  conduct  of  the  war  to  him 
alone.  To  such  a  pitch  was  this  carried,  that  Catherine 
de  Medicis  herself,  who  until  then  had  controlled  the 
actions,  will,  and  even  desires  of  the  young  prince,  seemed 
beginning  to  be  really  uneasy,  and  not  without  reason  ; 
for,  in  a  moment  of  confidence,  Charles  IX.  had  said  to 
the  admiral,  in  reference  to  the  war  in  Flanders,  "  My 
father,  there  is  one  other  thing  against  which  we  must 
be  on  our  guard,  and  this  is,  that  the  queen,  my  mother, 
who  likes  to  poke  her  nose  everywhere,  as  you  well 
know,  shall  learn  nothing  of  this  undertaking  ;  we  must 
keep  it  so  quiet  that  she  does  not  hear  a  word  of  it  or, 
meddler  as  she  is,  she  will  spoil  all." 

Now,  wise  and  experienced  as  he  was,  Coligny  had  not 
kept  this  counsel  secret ;  and,  albeit  he  had  come  to  Paris 
with  great  suspicions,  and  albeit  at  his  departure  from 
Chatillon  a  peasant  had  thrown  herself  at  his  feet,  crying, 


4  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  Ah  !  sir,  our  good  master,  do  not  go  to  Paris,  for  if  you 
do  yon  will  die — you  and  all  who  are  with  you  ! " — these 
suspicions  were  lulled  and  almost  destroyed  in  his  breast, 
and  in  that  of  Teligny,  his  son-in-law,  to  whom  the  king 
was  especially  kind  and  attentive,  calling  him  "  brother/' 
as  he  called  the  admiral  his  "  father,"  and  behaving  to 
him  as  he  did  to  his  best  friends. 

The  Huguenots,  then,  excepting  some  few  morose  and 
suspicious  spirits,  were  completely  re-assured.  The  death 
of  the  Queen  of  Navarre  passed  over,  as  having  been  caused 
by  a  pleurisy,  and  the  spacious  apartments  of  the  Louvre 
were  filled  with  those  brave  Protestants  to  whom  the 
marriage  of  their  young  chief,  Henry,  promised  an  un- 
expected return  of  good  fortune.  Admiral  Coligny,  La 
Eochefoucault,  the  young  Prince  de  Cond6,  Teligny,  in 
short,  all  the  leaders  of  the  party,  were  triumphant  when 
they  saw  so  powerful  at  the  Louvre,  and  so  welcome  in  Paris, 
those  whom,  three  months  before,  King  Charles  and  Queen 
Catherine  would  have  hanged  on  gibbets  higher  than  those 
of  assassins.  The  king,  the  queen,  the  Duke  d'Anjou, 
and  the  Duke  d'Aleii9on  did  the  honors  of  the  royal  f4te 
with  all  courtesy  and  kindness. 

The  Duke  d'Anjou  received  from  the  Huguenots  them- 
selves well-merited  compliments  as  to  the  two  battles  of 
Jarnac  and  Moncontour,  which  he  had  gained  before  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age,  more  precocious  in  that  than 
either  Caesar  or  Alexander,  to  whom  they  compared  him, 
of  course  placing  the  conquerors  of  Pharsalia  and  Issns  as 
inferior  to  the  living  prince.  The  Duke  d'Alen9on  looked 
on,  with  his  bland,  false  smile,  whilst  Queen  Catherine, 
radiant  with  joy  and  diffuse  in  compliment,  congratulated 
Prince  Henry  de  Cond6  on  his  recent  marriage  with  Marie 
de  Cloves,  and  the  Messieurs  de  Guise  themselves  looked 
gracious  on  the  formidable  enemies  of  their  house,  and  the 
Duke  de  Mayenne  discoursed  with  M.  de  Tavanne  and 
the  admiral  on  the  impending  war,  which  was  now  more 
than  ever  threatened  against  Philippe  II. 

In  the  midst  of  these  groups  moved  backwards  and  for- 
wards, his  head  a  little  ou  one  side,  his  ear  open  to  all 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  5 

that  was  said,  a  young  man  about  nineteen  years  of  age, 
with  a  keen  eye,  black  hair  cut  very  close,  thick  eyebrows, 
and  a  nose  curved  like  an  eagle's,  with  a  sneering  smile 
and  a  growing  mustache  and  beard.  This  young  man, 
who  had  first  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Arnay- 
le  Due,  for  which  he  had  been  very  highly  complimented, 
was  the  dearly  beloved  pupil  of  Coligny,  and  the  hero  of 
the  day.  Three  months  anterior,  that  is  to  say,  when  his 
mother  was  living,  they  called  him  the  Prince  of  Beam, 
now  he  was  called  the  King  of  Navarre,  and  in  aftertime, 
Henry  IV. 

From  time  to  time  a  gloomy  cloud  passed  suddenly  and 
rapidly  over  his  brow  ;  questionless,  he  recollected  that 
"  two  months,  two  little  months,"  had  scarce  elapsed  since 
his  mother's  death,  and  he  less  than  any  one  doubted  that 
she  had  Been  poisoned.  But  the  cloud  was  transitory,  and 
disappeared  like  a  fleeting  shadow,  for  they  who  spoke  to 
him,  they  who  congratulated  him,  they  who  elbowed  him, 
were  they  who  had  assassinated  the  brave  Jeanne  d'Albret. 

Some  paces  distant  from  the  King  of  Navarre,  almost 
as  pensive  and  gloomy  as  the  king  affected  to  be  joyous 
and  free  from  cares,  was  the  young  Duke  de  Guise,  con- 
versing with  Teligny.  More  fortunate  than  the  Bearnais, 
at  two-and- twenty  he  had  almost  attained  the  reputation 
of  his  father,  Franqois  the  great  Duke  de  Guise.  He  was 
an  elegant  gentleman,  very  tall,  with  a  noble  and  haughty 
look,  and  gifted  with  that  natural  majesty,  which  caused 
it  to  be  said  that  by  his  side  other  princes  seemed  to  belong 
to  the  people.  Young  as  he  was  the  Catholics  looked 
up  to  him  as  the  chief  of  their  party,  as  the  Huguenots 
considered  Henry  of  Navarre,  whose  portrait  we  have  just 
drawn,  to  be  their  chief.  He  had  heretofore  borne  the  title 
of  Prince  de  Joinville,  and  at  the  siege  of  Orleans  fought 
his  first  fight  under  his  father,  who  died  in  his  arms,  de- 
nouncing Admiral  Coligny  as  his  assassin.  It  was  then 
the  young  duke,  like  Hannibal,  took  a  solemn  oath  to 
avenge  his  father's  death  on  the  admiral  and  his  family, 
and  to  pursue  the  foes  to  his  religion  without  truce  or  re- 
spite, promising  God  to  be  his  exterminating  augel  on  earth, 


6  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

until  the  very  last  heretic  should  be  cat  off.  It  was  there- 
fore with  the  deepest  astonishment  that  the  people  saw 
this  prince,  usually  so  faithful  to  his  word,  extend  the 
hand  of  fellowship  to  those  whom  he  had  sworn  to  hold 
as  his  eternal  enemies,  and  discourse  familiarly  with  the 
son-in-law  of  the  man  whose  death  he  had  promised  to  his 
dying  father. 

But  as  we  have  said,  this  was  an  evening  of  astonish- 
ments. 

All  continued  smilingly  within,  and  a  murmur  more 
soft  and  flattering  than  ever  pervaded  the  Louvre  at  the 
moment  when  the  youthful  bride,  after  having  laid  aside 
her  toilette  of  ceremony,  her  long  mantle  and  flowing  veil, 
returned  to  the  ball-room,  accompanied  by  the  lovely 
Duchess  de  Nevers,  her  most  intimate  friend,  and  led  by 
her  brother,  Charles  IX.,  who  presented  her  to  the  prin- 
cipal guests. 

The  bride  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  II.,  was  the  pearl 
of  the  crown  of  France,  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS,  whom,  in 
his  familiar  tenderness  for  her,  King  Charles  IX.,  always 
called  ma  sceur  Margot,  "  my  sister  Madge." 

Never  was  a  more  flattering  reception,  never  one  more 
merited,  than  that  which  awaited  the  new  Queen  of  Na- 
varre. Marguerite  at  this  period  was  scarcely  twenty,  and 
already  she  was  the  object  of  all  the  poets'  eulogies,  some 
of  whom  compared  her  to  Aurora,  others  to  Cytherea; 
she  was,  in  truth,  a  beauty  without  rival  in  that  court  in 
which  Catherine  de  Medicis  had  assembled  the  loveliest 
women  of  the  age  and  country. 

She  had  black  hair  and  a  brilliant  complexion  ;  a  volup- 
tuous eye,  veiled  by  long  lids,  coral  and  delicate  lips,  a 
graceful  neck,  a  full,  enchanting  figure,  and  concealed  in 
a  satin  slipper  a  tiny  foot,  scarce  larger  than  an  infant's. 
The  French,  who  possessed  her.  were  proud  to  see  so  lovely 
a  flower  flourishing  in  their  soil,  and  foreigners  who  passed 
through  France  returned  home  dazzled  with  her  beauty,  if 
they  had  but  seen  her,  and  amazed  at  her  knowledge,  if 
they  had  discoursed  with  her ;  for  not  only  was  Margue- 
rite the  loveliest,  she  was  also  the  most  erudite,  woman  of 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  f 

her  time,  and  on  all  sides  was  quoted  the  remark  of  an 
Italian  savant  who  had  been  presented  to  her,  and  who, 
after  having  conversed  with  her  for  an  hour  in  Italian, 
Spanish,  and  Latin,  had  said,  on  quitting  her  presence : 
"  To  see  the  court  without  seeing  Marguerite  de  Valois,  is 
to  see  neither  France  nor  the  court." 

Thus  it  may  be  supposed,  that  addresses  to  King  Charles 
IX.  and  the  Queen  of  Navarre  were  not  wanting.  The 
Huguenots  were  great  hands  at  addresses.  Many  strong 
hints  to  the  past,  and  stronger  hints  as  to  the  future,  were 
adroitly  slipped  into  these  harangues  ;  but  to  all  such  allu- 
sions and  speeches  he  replied,  with  his  pale  lips  and  arti- 
ficial smiles : 

"  In  giving  my  sister  Margot  to  Henry  of  Navarre,  I 
give  my  sister  to  all  the  Protestants  of  the  kingdom." 

This  phrase  assured  some  and  made  others  smile,  for  it 
had  really  a  double  sense  :  the  one  paternal,  and  with 
which  Charles  IX.  would  not  load  his  mind ;  the  other, 
injurious  to  the  bride,  her  husband,  and  also  to  him  who 
said  it,  for  it  recalled  some  scandalous  rumors  with  which 
the  chroniclers  of  the  court  had  already  found  means  to 
smirch  the  nuptial  robe  of  Marguerite  de  Valois. 

However,  M.  de  Guise  was  conversing,  as  we  have  de- 
scribed, with  Teligny  ;  but  he  did  not  pay  to  the  conver- 
sation such  sustained  attention  but  that  he  turned  away 
somewhat,  from  time  to  time,  to  cast  a  glance  at  the 
group  of  ladies,  in  the  center  of  whom  glittered  the  Queen 
of  Navarre.  When  the  princess's  eye  thus  met  that  of  the 
young  duke,  a  cloud  seemed  to  overspread  that  lovely 
brow,  around  which  stars  of  diamonds  formed  a  tremulous 
circlet,  and  some  agitating  thought  might  be  divined  in 
her  restless  and  impatient  manner. 

The  Princess  Claude,  the  eldest  sister  of  Marguerite, 
who  had  been  for  some  years  married  to  the  Duke  of  Lor- 
raine, had  observed  this  uneasiness,  and  going  up  to  her, 
was  about  to  inquire  the  cause,  when  all  stood  aside  at  the 
approach  of  the  queen-mother,  who  came  forward,  leaning 
on  the  arm  of  the  young  Prince  de  Cond6,  and  the  prin- 
cess was  thus  suddenly  shut  out  from  her  sister.  There 


8  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

was  then  a  general  movement,  by  which  the  Duke  de 
Guise  profited  to  approach  Madame  de  Nevers,  his  sister- 
in-law,  and  Marguerite. 

Madame  de  Lorraine,  who  had  not  lost  sight  of  her  sister, 
then  remarked,  instead  of  the  cloud  which  she  had  before 
observed  on  her  forehead,  a  burning  blush  come  into  her 
cheeks.  The  duke  approached  still  nearer,  and  when  he 
was  within  two  steps  of  Marguerite,  she  appeared  rather 
to  feel  than  see  his  presence,  and  turned  round,  making  a 
violent  effort  over  herself  in  order  to  give  her  features  an 
appearance  of  calmness  and  indifference.  The  duke,  then 
respectfully  bowing,  murmured,  in  a  low  tone,  "  Ipse 
attulL"—"  I  have  brought  it." 

Marguerite  returned  the  salute  of  the  young  duke,  and 
as  she  stooped,  replied,  in  the  same  tone,  "  Noctu  pro 
more." — "  To-night,  as  usual/' 

These  words,  uttered  softly,  were  so  lost  in  the  enormous 
collar  which  the  princess  wore,  as  to  be  heard  only  by  the 
person  to  whom  they  were  addressed  ;  but  brief  as  had 
been  the  conference,  it  doubtless  composed  all  the  young 
couple  had  to  say,  for  after  this  exchange  of  two  words 
for  three,  they  separated,  Marguerite  more  thoughtful, 
and  the  duke  with  his  brow  less  clouded  than  when  they 
met.  This  little  scene  took  place  without  the  person 
most  interested  appearing  to  remark  it,  for,  on  his  side, 
the  King  of  Navarre  had  eyes  but  for  one  individual 
amongst  those  whom  Marguerite  de  Valois  had  around 
her,  and  that  was  the  lovely  Madame  de  Sauve. 

Charlotte  de  Beaune  Semblanqay,  granddaughter  of  the 
unfortunate  Semblan9ay,  and  wife  of  Simon  de  Fizes, 
Baron  de  Sauve,  was  one  of  the  ladies  in  waiting  to 
Catherine  de  Medicis,  and  one  of  the  most  redoubtable 
auxiliaries  of  this  queen,  who  poured  forth  to  her  enemies 
philters  of  love  when  she  dared  not  pour  out  Italian  poison. 
Delicately  fair,  and  by  turns  sparkling  with  vivacity  or 
languishing  in  melancholy,  always  ready  for  love  or  in- 
trigue, the  two  great  occupations  which  for  fifty  years 
employed  the  court  of  the  three  succeeding  kings  :  a 
woman  in  every  acceptation  of  the  word,  and  in  all  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  9 

charm  of  the  idea,  from  the  blue  eye,  languishing  or 
beaming  fire,  to  the  small  and  perfectly  formed  feet,  hid- 
den in  their  slippers  of  velvet,  Madame  de  Sauve  had 
already  for  some  months  seized  on  every  faculty  of  the 
King  of  Navarre,  then  making  his  debut  as  lover  as  well 
as  politician,  so  completely,  that  Marguerite  de  Valois  a 
magnificent  and  royal  beauty,  had  not  even  excited  admi- 
ration in  the  heart  of  her  spouse  ;  and  what  was  more 
strange,  and  astonished  all  the  world,  even  on  the  part  of 
that  soul  so  full  of  darkness  and  mystery,  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  whilst  she  prosecuted  her  project  of  union 
between  her  daughter  and  the  King  of  Navarre,  had  not 
ceased  to  favor  almost  openly  his  amour  with  Madame  de 
Sauve.  But  despite  this  powerful  aid,  and  despite  the 
easy  manners  of  the  age,  the  lovely  Charlotte  had  hitherto 
resisted  ;  and  this  resistance,  unheard-of,  incredible,  un- 
precedented, even  more  than  the  beauty  and  wit  of  her 
who  resisted,  had  excited  in  the  heart  of  the  Bearnais  a 
passion  which,  unable  to  satisfy  itself,  had  destroyed  in 
the  young  king's  heart  all  timidity,  pride,  and  even  that 
carelessness,  half  philosophy,  half  idleness,  which  formed 
the  basis  of  his  character. 

Madame  de  Sauve  had  been  only  a  few  minutes  in  the 
apartment  ;  from  spite  or  grief,  she  had  at  first  resolved 
on  not  being  present  at  her  rival's  triumph,  and  under  the 
pretext  of  an  indisposition,  had  allowed  her  husband,  who 
had  been  for  five  years  secretary  of  state,  to  go  alone  to 
the  Louvre  ;  but  when  Catherine  de  Medicis  saw  the 
baron  without  his  wife,  had  learned  the  cause  that  kept 
away  her  dear  Charlotte,  and  that  the  indisposition  was 
but  slight,  she  wrote  a  few  words  to  her,  which  the  lady 
instantly  obeyed.  Henry,  sad  as  he  had  at  first  been  at 
her  absence,  had  yet  breathed  more  freely  when  he  saw 
M.  de  Sanve  enter  alone  ;  but  at  the  moment  when,  not 
expecting  her  appearance,  he  was  about  to  pay  some 
court  to  the  charming  creature  whom  he  was  condemned, 
if  not  to  love,  at  least  to  treat  as  his  wife,  he  saw  Madame 
de  Sauve  arise,  as  it  were,  from  the  further  end  of  the 
gallery.  He  was  nailed  to  the  place,  his  eyes  fastened  on 


10  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

the  Circe,  who  enthralled  him  as  if  by  magic  chains,  and 
instead  of  continuing  his  steps  towards  his  wife,  by  a 
movement  of  hesitation  which  betrayed  more  astonish- 
ment than  alarm,  he  advanced  to  meet  Madame  de  Sauve. 

The  courtiers,  seeing  the  King  of  Navarre,  whose  in- 
flammable heart  they  knew,  approach  the  beautiful  Char- 
lotte, had  not  the  courage  to  prevent  their  meeting,  but 
drew  aside  complaisantly  ;  so  that  at  the  same  moment 
when  Marguerite  de  Valois  and  M.  de  Guise  exchanged 
the  few  words  in  Latin  which  we  have  noted  above, 
Henry,  having  approached  Madame  de  Sauve,  began,  in  a 
French  very  intelligible,  although  with  somewhat  of  a 
Gascon  accent,  a  conversation  by  no  means  so  mysterious. 
•  Ah,  ma  mie  I  "  he  said,  "  you  have,  then,  come  at  the 
very  moment  when  they  assured  me  that  you  were  unwell, 
and  I  had  lost  all  hope  of  seeing  you  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  would 
perhaps  wish  me  to  believe  that  it  had  cost  you  something 
to  lose  this  hope  ?  " 

"  Sang  Diou !  I  believe  it ! "  replied  the  Bearnais  ; 
' '  know  you  not  that  you  are  my  sun  by  day,  and  my  star 
by  night  ?  By  my  faith,  I  was  in  deepest  darkness  till 
you  appeared  and  illumined  all." 

"  Then,  monseigneur,  I  serve  you  a  very  ill  turn. 

"  What  mean  you,  ma  mie9"  inquired  Henry. 

"  I  mean  that  he  who  is  master  of  the  handsomest  woman 
in  France  should  only  have  one  desire — that  the  light 
should  disappear,  and  give  way  to  darkness  and  to  happi- 
ness." 

"  You  know,  cruel  one,  that  my  happiness  is  in  the 
hands  of  one  woman  only,  and  that  she  laughs  at  poor 
Henry." 

"Oh  !"  replied  the  baroness,  "I  believe,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  it  was  this  person  who  was  the  sport  and  jest 
of  the  King  of  Navarre. " 

"  By  my  faith,  dearest,  you  reproach  me  very  unjustly, 
and  I  do  not  comprehend  how  so  lovely  a  month  can  be 
BO  cruel.  Do  you  suppose  for  a  moment  that  it  is  I  who 
marry  myself  ?  No,  ventre-saint-gris,  it  is  not  1 1 " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  H 

"  It  is  I,  perhaps,"  said  the  baroness,  sharply. 

"With  your  lovely  eyes  have  you  not  seen  farther, 
baroness  ?  No,  no  ;  it  is  not  Henry  of  Navarre  who  weds 
Marguerite  de  Valois." 

"And  what  is  it,  then  ?" 

"  Why,  sang  Diou !  it  is  the  Reformed  religion  which 
marries  the  Pope — that's  all." 

"  No,  no ;  your  majesty  loves  Madame  Marguerite. 
And  can  I  blame  you  ?  Heaven  forbid  !  She  is  beautiful 
enough  to  be  adored/' 

Henry  reflected  for  a  moment,  and,  as  he  reflected,  a 
meaning  smile  curled  the  corner  of  his  lips. 

"  Baroness,"  said  he,  "  you  have  no  right  to  seek  a 
quarrel  with  me.  What  have  you  done  to  prevent  me  from 
espousing  Madame  Marguerite  ?  Nothing,  On  the  con- 
trary, you  have  always  driven  me  to  despair,  and  I  wed 
her  because  you  love  me  not." 

"  If  I  had  loved  you,  sire,  I  must  have  died  in  another 
hour." 

"  In  another  hour  !  What  do  yon  mean  ?  And  of  what 
death  would  you  have  died  ?  " 

"Of  jealousy  ! — for  in  another  hour  the  Queen  of 
Navarre  will  send  away  her  women,  and  your  majesty  your 
gentlemen." 

"  Is  that  really  the  thought  that  occupies  your  mind, 
ma  mie  9  " 

"  I  have  not  said  so.  I  only  say,  that  if  I  loved  you  it 
would  occupy  my  mind  most  tormentingly. " 

"  But  suppose,"  said  Henry,  "  that  the  King  of  Navarre 
should  not  send  away  his  gentlemen  this  evening  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  looking  at  the  king 
with  astonishment  for  once  unfeigned,  "you  say  things 
impossible  and  incredible." 

"  What  must  I  do,  to  make  you  believe  them  ?" 

"  Give  me  a  proof — and  that  proof  you  cannot  give  me." 

"  Yes,  baroness,  yes  !  By  Saint  Henry,  I  will  give  it 
you  !  "  exclaimed  the  king,  gazing  amorously  on  her. 

"Oh,  your  majesty  !"  murmured  the  lovely  Charlotte, 
with  downcast  eyes,  "  I  do  not  comprehend/' 


12  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"There  are  four  Henries  in  this  room,  my  adorable  !" 
replied  the  king.  "  Henry  de  France,  Henry  de  Conde", 
Henry  de  Guise  :  but  there  is  only  one  Henry  of  Navarre/' 

"Well?" 

"  Well ;  if  this  Henry  of  Navarre  is  with  you  all 
night » 

"  All  night  1 " 

"  Yes  ;  then  you  will  be  certain  that  he  is  not  with  any 
other." 

"  Ah  !  if  you  do  that,  sire,"  said  Madame  Sauve. 

"  On  the  honor  of  a  gentleman,  I  will  do  it  ! " 

Madame  de  Sauve  raised  her  beaming  and  love-promis- 
ing eyes  to  the  king,  whose  heart  beat  with  joy. 

"  And  then,"  said  Henry,  "  what  will  you  say  ?  " 

"  I  will  say,"  replied  Charlotte,  "  that  your  majesty 
really  loves  me." 

"  Ventre-saint-gris !  then  you  shall  say  it.  Have  you 
not  about  you  some  waiting- woman  whom  you  can  trust  ?" 

"  Yes,  Dariole  is  devoted  to  me." 

"  Sang-Diou  !  then  say  to  her,  that  I  will  make  her 
fortune  when  I  am  King  of  France,  as  the  astrologers 
prophesy." 

Charlotte  smiled,  for  even  at  this  period  the  Gascon 
reputation  of  the  Bearnais  was  already  established  with 
respect  to  his  promises. 

"  Well,  then,  what  do  you  desire  of  Dariole  ?  " 

"  Little  for  her,  a  great  deal  for  me.  Your  apartment 
is  over  mine  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Let  her  wait  behind  the  door.  I  will  strike  three 
blows  gently,  and " 

Madame  de  Sauve  kept  silence  for  several  seconds,  and 
then,  as  if  she  had  looked  around  her  to  observe  if  she 
were  overheard,  she  fastened  her  gaze  for  a  moment  on 
the  group  which  environed  the  queen-mother  :  brief  as 
the  moment  was,  it  was  sufficient  for  Catherine  and  her 
lady-in-waiting  to  exchange  a  look. 

"  Oh,  if  I  were  inclined,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  with 
a  syren's  accent  that  would  have  melted  Ulysses  himself — 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  13 

"  if  I  were  inclined  to  make  your  majesty  tell  a  false- 
hood  " 

"  Ma  mie,  try '* 

11  Ah,  mafoi!    I  confess  I  am  tempted  to  do  so." 

"  Women  are  never  so  strong  as  after  their  defeat." 

"  Sire,  I  hold  you  to  your  promise  for  Dariole,  when  you 
shall  be  King  of  France." 

Henry  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy. 

It  was  at  the  precise  moment  when  the  cry  escaped  the 
lips  of  the  Bearnais,  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre  replied  to 
the  Duke  of  Guise  : 

"  Noctu  pro  more." 

Then  Henry  quitted  Madame  de  Sauve  as  happy  as  the 
Duke  de  Guise  when  he  quitted  Marguerite  de  Valois. 

An  hour  after  the  double  scene  we  have  just  related, 
King  Charles  and  the  queen-mother  also  retired  to  their 
apartments.  Almost  immediately  the  apartments  began  to 
empty  ;  the  galleries  exhibited  the  bases  of  their  marble 
columns.  The  admiral  and  the  Prince  de  Conde  were  es- 
corted home  by  four  hundred  Huguenot  gentlemen  through 
the  middle  of  the  crowd,  which  groaned  as  they  passed. 
Then  Henry  de  Guise,  with  the  Lorraine  and  Catholic 
gentlemen,  left  in  their  turn,  greeted  by  the  cries  of  joy 
and  plaudits  of  the  people. 

As  to  Marguerite  de  Valois,  Henry  of  Navarre,  and 
Madame  de  Sauve,  they  lived  in  the  Louvre. 


CHAPTER  II. 

HENRY  OF  NAVARRE  AND  MARGUERITE. 

THE  Duke  de  Guise  escorted  his  sister-in-law,  the 
Duchess  de  Nevers,  to  his  hotel  in  the  Rue  du  Chaume,  and 
then  proceeded  to  his  own  apartment  to  change  his  dress, 
put  on  a  night  cloak,  and  arm  himself  with  one  of  those 
short  and  sharp  poniards  which  were  called  "  foi  de  gentil- 
komme,"  and  were  worn  without  swords  ;  but  at  the  moment 


14  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

when  he  took  it  off  the  table  on  which  it  was  placed,  he 
perceived  a  small  billet  between  the  blade  and  the  scab- 
bard. 

He  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows : 

"  I  hope  M.  de  Guise  will  not  return  to  the  Louvre  to- 
night ;  or  if  he  does,  that  he  will  at  least  take  the  precau- 
tion to  arm  himself  with  a  good  coat  of  mail  and  a  proved 
sword/' 

"Ah  !  ah  !"  said  the  duke,  "this  is  a  singular  warn- 
ing ;  but  I  always  take  good  advice — my  steel  jacket  and 
my  sword." 

The  valet-de-chambre,  accustomed  to  these  changes  of 
costume,  brought  both.  The  duke  put  on  his  jacket, 
which  was  made  of  rings  of  steel  so  fine  that  it  was  scarcely 
thicker  than  velvet  ;  he  then  drew  on  a  pardessns  and 
ponrpoint  of  gray  and  silver,  his  favorite  colors,  placed 
a  dagger  by  his  side,  handed  his  sword  to  a  page,  the  only 
attendant  he  allowed  to  accompany  him,  and  took  the  way 
to  the  Louvre,  which  he  reached  in  safety. 

In  front  of  the  royal  chateau  was  a  deep  fosse,  looking 
into  which  were  the  chambers  of  most  of  the  princes  who 
inhabited  the  palace.  Marguerite's  apartment  was  on  the 
first  floor,  and,  easily  accessible  but  for  the  fosse,  was,  in 
consequence  of  the  depth  to  which  that  was  cut,  thirty 
feet  from  the  bottom  of  the  wall,  and  consequently  out  of 
the  reach  of  robbers  or  lovers  ;  but  nevertheless  the  Duke 
de  Guise  approached  it  without  hesitation. 

At  the  same  moment  was  heard  the  noise  of  a  window 
which  opened  on  the  ground  floor.  This  window  was 
grated,  but  a  hand  appeared,  lifted  out  one  of  the  bars 
that  had  been  loosened,  and  dropped  from  it  a  silken 
lace. 

"  Is  that  you,  Gillonne  ?  "  said  the  duke,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Yes,  monseigneur,"  replied  a  female  voice,  in  a  still 
lower  tone. 

"  And  Marguerite  ?" 

"  Awaits  you." 

"  'Tiswell." 

Hereupon  the  duke  made  a  signal  to  his  page,  who, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8.  15 

opening  his  cloak,  took  out  a  small  rope  ladder.  The 
prince  fastened  one  end  to  the  silk  lace,  and  Gillonne 
drawing  it,  unfastened  it,  and  the  prince,  after  having 
buckled  his  sword  to  his  belt,  ascended  without  accident. 
When  he  entered,  the  bar  was  replaced  and  the  window 
closed,  whilst  the  page,  having  seen  his  master  quietly  en- 
ter the  Louvre,  to  the  windows  of  which  he  had  accom- 
panied him  twenty  times  in  the  same  way,  laid  himself 
down  in  his  cloak  on  the  grass  of  the  fosse,  and  beneath 
the  shadow  of  the  wall. 

The  night  was  extremely  dark,  and  several  large  rain- 
spots  fe)l  irom  the  heavy  clouds  charged  with  electric 
fluid. 

7he  Duke  de  Guise  followed  his  conductress,  who  was 
AO  other  than  the  daughter  of  Jacques  de  Mantignon, 
marechal  of  France.  She  was  the  confidant  of  Marguerite, 
who  kept  no  secret  from  her  ;  and  it  was  said  that  amongst 
the  number  of  mysteries  entrusted  to  her  incorruptible 
fidelity,  there  were  some  so  terrible  as  to  compel  her  to 
keep  the  rest. 

There  was  no  light  left  either  in  the  lower  chamber  or 
in  the  corridor,  only  from  time  to  time  a  livid  glare  illu- 
minated the  dark  apartments  with  a  vivid  flash,  which  as 
instantly  disappeared. 

"  The  duke,  still  guided  by  his  conductress,  who  held 
his  hand,  reached  a  staircase  formed  in  the  thickness  of 
the  wall,  and  which  opened  by  a  secret  and  invisible  door 
into  the  antechamber  of  Marguerite's  apartment. 

In  this  antechamber,  which  was  perfectly  dark,  Gillonne 
stopped. 

"Have  you  brought  what  the  queen  requested  ?"  she 
inquired,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  Duke  de  Guise  ;  "  but  I  will  only 
give  it  to  her  majesty  in  person." 

"  Come,  then,  and  do  not  lose  an  instant !"  said  a  voice 
from  the  darkness,  which  made  the  duke  start,  for  it  was 
Marguerite's. 

At  the  same  moment  a  curtain  of  violet  velvet  covered 
with  fleurs-de-lis  was  raised,  and  the  duke  made  out  the 


16  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

form  of  the  queen,  who,  in  her  impatience,  had  come  to 
meet  him: 

"  I  am  here,  madame,"  he  then  said  ;  and  he  passed  the 
curtain,  which  fell  behind  him.  Gillonne  remained  in  the 
antechamber. 

As  if  she  comprehended  the  jealousies  of  the  duke,  Mar- 
guerite led  him  to  the  bed-chamber,  and  then  paused. 

*'  Well/'  she  said,  "  are  you  content,  duke  ?  " 

"  Content,  madame  ?  "  was  the  reply — "  and  with  what?" 

"  Of  the  proof  I  give  you,"  retorted  Marguerite,  with 
a  slight  tone  of  vexation  in  her  voice,  "  that  I  belong  to  a 
man,  who,  on  the  very  night  of  his  marriage,  makes  me  of 
such  small  importance  that  he  does  not  even  come  to  thank 
me  for  the  honor  I  have  done  him,  not  in  selecting,  but  in 
accepting  him  for  my  husband." 

"Oh!  madame,"  said  the  duke,  sorrowfully,  "be  as- 
sured he  will  come  if  you  desire  it." 

"  And  is  it  you  who  say  that,  Henry  ?  "  «ried  Margue- 
rite ;  "  you,  who  better  than  any  know  the  contrary  of 
what  you  say.  If  I  had  that  desire,  should  I  have  asked 
you  to  come  to  the  Louvre  ! " 

"You  have  asked  me  to  come  to  the  Louvre,  Mar- 
guerite, because  you  are  anxious  to  destroy  every  vestige  of 
the  past,  and  because  that  past  lives  not  only  in  my 
memory,  but  in  this  silver  casket  which  I  bring  to  you." 

"Henry,  shall  I  say  one  thing  to  you  ?"  replied  Mar- 
guerite ;  "  it  is  that  you  are  more  like  a  schoolboy  than 
a  prince.  I  deny  that  I  have  loved  you  1  I  desire  to 
quench  a  flame  which  will  die,  perhaps,  but  whose  reflec- 
tion will  never  die  !  No,  no,  duke ;  you  may  keep  the 
letters  of  your  Marguerite,  and  the  casket  she  has  given 
you.  From  these  letters  she  asks  but  one,  and  that  only, 
because  it  is  as  dangerous  for  you  as  for  herself." 

"  It  is  all  yours,"  said  the  duke. 

Marguerite  searched  anxiously  in  the  open  casket, 
and  with  a  tremulous  hand  took,  one  after  the  other,  a 
dozen  letters,  of  which  she  examined  the  addresses  only, 
as  if  by  the  inspection  alone  of  these  she  could  recall  to 
her  memory  what  the  letters  themselves  contained ;  bat 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  17 

after  a  close  scrutiny,  she  looked  at  the  duke,  pale  and 
agitated :  , 

"  Sir,"  she  said,  "  what  I  seek  is  not  here.  Have  you 
lost  it,  by  any  accident  ? " 

"  What  letter  do  you  seek,  madame  ?  " 

"  That  in  which  I  told  you  to  marry  without  delay." 

"  As  an  excuse  for  your  infidelity  ?  " 

Marguerite  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  No  ;  but  to  save  your  life.  That  one  in  which  I  say 
to  you  that  the  king,  seeing  our  love  and  my  exertions  to 
break  off  your  proposed  espousals  with  the  Infanta  of 
Portugal,  has  sent  for  his  brother,  the  Bastard  of  Angou- 
le'me,  and  said  to  him,  pointing  to  two  swords,  '"With  this 
slay  Henry  de  Guise  this  night  or  with  the  other  I  will 
slaythee  in  the  morning/  Where  is  that  letter  ?" 

"  Here,"  said  the  duke,  drawing  it  from  his  breast. 

Marguerite  snatched  it  from  his  hands,  opened  it 
anxiously,  assured  herself  that  it  was  really  that  which  she 
desired,  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy,  and  applying  the 
lighted  candle  to  it,  the  flames  instantly  consumed  the 
paper  :  then,  as  if  Marguerite  feared  that  her  imprudent 
words  might  be  read  in  the  very  ashes,  she  trampled  them 
underfoot. 

During  all  this,  the  Duke  de  Guise  had  watched  his 
mistress  attentively. 

"  Well,  Marguerite/'  he  said,  when  she  had  finished, 
"  are  you  satisfied  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  for  now  you  have  wedded  the  Princess  de  Porcian, 
my  brother  will  forgive  me  your  love  :  whilst  he  nevei 
would  have  pardoned  me  for  revealing  a  secret  such  as 
that  which  in  my  weakness  for  you  I  had  not  the  strength 
to  conceal  from  you." 

"  True,"  replied  De  Guise,  "  then,  you  loved  me." 

"  And  I  love  you  still,  Henry,  as  much — more  than 
ever !  " 

"You  ....?" 

"  I  do  ;  for  never  more  than  at  this  moment  did  I  need 
a  sincere  an.d  devoted  friend.  Queen,  I  have  no  throne  : 
wife,  I  have  no  husband  1 " 


18  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOK. 

The  young  prince  shook  his  head  sorrowfully. 

"  I  tell  you,  I  repeat  to  you,  Henry,  that  my  husband 
not  only  does  not  love  me,  but  hates — despises  me  ;  besides, 
methinks,  your  presence  in  the  chamber  in  which  he  ought 
to  be  is  full  of  proof  of  this  hatred,  this  con  tempt. " 

"  It  is  not  yet  late,  inadame,  and  the  King  of  Navarre 
requires  time  to  dismiss  his  gentlemen  ;  and  if  he  has  not 
already  come,  he  will  not  be  long  first." 

"  And  I  tell  you,"  cried  Marguerite,  with  increasing 
vexation,  "  I  tell  you  that  he  will  not  come  !  " 

" Madame!"  exclaimed  Gillonne,  suddenly  entering — 
"  the  King  of  Navarre  is  just  leaving  his  apartment  ! " 

"  Oh,  I  knew  he  would  come  ! "  exclaimed  the  Duke  de 
Guise. 

"  Henry/'  said  Marguerite,  in  a  quick  tone,  and  seizing 
the  duke's  hand,  "  Henry,  you  shall  see  if  I  am  a  woman 
of  my  word,  and  if  I  may  be  relied  on.  Henry,  enter  that 
closet." 

"  Madame,  allow  me  to  go  whilst  it  is  yet  time,  for 
reflect  that  the  first  mark  of  love  you  bestow  on  him,  I 
shall  quit  the  cabinet,  and  then  woe  to  him  !" 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  go  in — go  in,  I  say,  and  I  will  be 
responsible  for  all."  And  she  pushed  the  duke  into  the 
closet. 

It  was  time.  The  door  was  scarcely  closed  behind  the 
prince,  than  the  King  of  Navarre,  escorted  by  two  pages 
who  carried  eight  flambeaux  of  pink  wax  in  two  candelabras, 
appeared,  smiling,  on  the  threshold  of  the  chamber. 

Marguerite  concealed  her  trouble,  and  made  a  very  low 
courtesy. 

"  You  are  not  yet  in  bed,  madame,"  observed  the  B6ar- 
nais,  with  his  frank  and  joyous  look.  "  Were  you  by 
chance  waiting  for  me  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Marguerite  ;  "  for  yesterday  you 
repeated  to  me  that  our  marriage  was  a  political  alliance, 
and  that  you  would  never  thwart  my  wishes." 

"  Assuredly  ;  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we  sho-.ld  not 
confer  a  little  together.  Gillonne,  close  the  door,  and 
leave  us."  . 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  19 

Marguerite,  who  was  sitting,  then  rose  and  extended 
her  hand,  as  if  to  desire  the  pages  to  remain. 

"  Must  I  call  your  women  ?  "  inquired  the  king.  "  I 
will  do  so,  if  such  be  your  desire,  although  I  confess  that 
what  I  have  to  say  to  you  would  make  me  prefer  our  being 
alone." 

And  the  King  of  Navarre  advanced  towards  the  closet. 

"No!"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  hastily  going  before 
him  ;  "  no — there  is  no  occasion  for  that ;  I  am  ready  to 
hear  you." 

The  BSarnais  had  learned  what  he  desired  to  know — he 
threw  a  rapid  and  penetrating  glance  towards  the  cabinet, 
as  if,  in  spite  of  the  thick  curtain  which  hung  before  it, 
he  would  dive  into  its  obscurity,  and  then,  turning  his 
looks  to  his  lovely  wife,  pale  with  terror,  he  said  with  the 
utmost  composure  : 

"  In  that  case,  madame,  let  us  confer  for  a  few  moments." 

"  As  your  majesty  pleases,"  said  the  lady,  falling  into, 
rather  than  sitting  upon,  the  seat  which  her  husband 
pointed  out  to  her. 

The  Bearnais  placed  himself  beside  her. 

"  Madame,"  he  continued,  "  whatever  many  persons  may 
have  said,  I  think  our  marriage  is  a  good  marriage.  I 
stand  well  with  you — you  stand  well  with  me." 

"  But "  said  Marguerite,  alarmed. 

"  Consequently,  we  ought,"  observed  the  King  of 
Navarre,  "  to  act  to  each  other  like  good  allies,  since  we 
were  to-day  allied  in  the  presence  of  God.  Don't  you 
think  so  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably,  sir." 

"  I  know,  madame,  how  great  your  penetration  is  ;  I 
know  how  the  ground  at  court  is  intersected  with  danger- 
ous abysses  ;  now  I  am  young,  and  although  I  never  in- 
jured any  person,  I  have  a  great  many  enemies.  In  which 
camp,  madame,  ought  I  to  range  her  who  bears  my  name, 
and  who  has  vowed  her  affection  to  me  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar?" 

"  Sir,  could  you  think " 

"  I  think  nothing,  madame  ;  I  hope  and  I  am  anxious 

DUMAS— VOL.  III.— 2 


20  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

to  know  that  my  hope  is  well  founded.  It  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  our  marriage  is  merely  a  pretext  or  a  snare." 

Marguerite  started,  for  perchance  the  same  thought  had 
occurred  to  her  own  mind. 

"  Now,  then,  which  of  the  two  ?  "  continued  Henry  of 
Navarre.  "  The  king  hates  me,  the  Duke  d'Anjou  hates 
me,  the  Duke  d'Aleu9on  hates  me,  Catherine  de  Medicis 
hated  my  mother  too  much  not  to  hate  me." 

"  Oh,  sir,  what  are  you  saying  ?  " 

"  The  truth,  madame,"  replied  the  king  ;  "  and  I  wish 
in  order  that  it  may  not  be  supposed  that  I  am  the  dupe 
of  the  assassination  of  M.  de  Mouy  and  the  poisoning  of 
my  mother,  that  some  one  were  here  who  could  hear  me." 

"  Oh,  sir,"  replied  Marguerite,  with  an  air  as  calm  and 
smiling  as  she  could  assume,  "  you  know  very  well  that 
there  is  no  person  here  but  you  and  myself. " 

"  It  is  for  that  very  reason  that  I  thus  give  vent  to  my 
thoughts  ;  this  it  is  that  emboldens  me  to  declare  that  I 
am  not  the  dupe  of  the  caresses  showered  on  me  by  the 
House  of  France  or  the  House  of  Lorraine." 

"  Sir,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  Maguerite. 

"Well,  what  is  it,  ma  mie9"  inquired  Henry,  smiling 
in  his  turn. 

"Why,  sir,  such  remarks  are  very  dangerous." 

"  Not  when  we  are  alone,"  observed  the  king.  "  I  was 
saying " 

Marguerite  was  evidently  distressed  ;  she  desired  to  stop 
every  word  the  king  uttered,  but  he  continued,  with  his 
apparent  indifference — 

"  I  was  telling  you,  that  I  was  menaced  on  all  sides  ; 
menaced  by  the  king,  menaced  by  the  Duke  d'Alen9on, 
menaced  by  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  menaced  by  the  queen- 
mother,  menaced  by  the  Duke  de  Guise,  by  the  Duke  de 
Mayenne,  by  the  Cardinal  de  Lorraine — menaced,  in  fact, 
by  everybody.  One  feels  that  instinctively,  as  you  know, 
madame.  Well,  against  all  these  menaces,  which  must 
soon  become  attacks,  I  can  defend  myself  by  your  aid,  for 
you  are  beloved  by  all  the  persons  who  detest  me." 

"  I  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  21 

"Yes,  you,"  replied  Henry,  with  the  utmost  easiness 
of  manner  ;  ''yes,  you  are  beloved  by  King  Charles,  you 
are  beloved  (he  laid  strong  emphasis  on  the  word)  by  the 
Dake  d'Alen9on,  you  are  beloved  by  Queen  Catherine,  and 
you  are  beloved  by  the  Duke  de  Guise." 

"  Sir  !  "  murmured  Marguerite. 

"  Yes  ;  and  what  is  there  astonishing  in  the  fact  of  all 
the  world  loving  you  ?  All  I  have  mentioned  are  your 
brothers  or  relatives.  To  love  one's  brothers  and  relatives 
is  to  live  according  to  the  heart  of  God." 

"  But  what,  then,"  asked  Marguerite,  greatly  over- 
come— "  what  would  you  have  ?  " 

"  I  would  say,  that  if  you  will — I  will  not  ask  you  to 
love  me — but  if  you  will  be  my  ally,  I  could  brave  every- 
thing ;  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  become  my 
enemy,  I  am  lost." 

"  Oh,  your  enemy  ! — never,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  And  my  love — never  either  ?" 

"  Perhaps " 

"  And  my  ally  ?  " 

"  Most  decidedly." 

And  Marguerite  turned  round,  and  presented  her  hand 
to  the  king. 

Henry  took  it,  kissed  it  gallantly,  and  retaining  it  in 
his  own,  more  from  a  desire  of  investigation  than  from 
any  sentiment  of  tenderness,  said  : 

"  Well,  madame,  I  believe  you,  and  accept  the  alliance. 
They  married  us  without  our  knowing  each  other — with- 
out our  loving  each  other  ;  they  married  us  without  con- 
sulting us — us  whom  they  united.  We  therefore  owe 
nothing  to  each  other,  as  man  and  wife  ;  but  we  ally  our- 
selves freely  and  without  any  compulsion.  We  ally  our- 
selves, as  two  loyal  hearts  who  owe  epch  other  mutual 
protection  should  ally  themselves  ;  'tis  as  such  yon  under- 
stand it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  endeavoring  to  withdraw 
her  hand. 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  the  B6arnais,  with  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  cabinet,  "  as  the  first  proof  of  a  frank  alii- 


22  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

ance  is  the  most  perfect  confidence,  I  will  now,  madame, 
relate  to  you,  in  all  its  details,  the  plan  I  have  formed,  in 
order  that  we  may  victoriously  meet  and  overcome  all 
these  enemies. " 

"  Sir,"  said  Marguerite,  turning  her  eyes  toward  the 
closet,  whilst  the  Bearnais,  seeing  his  trick  succeed, 
laughed  in  his  sleeve. 

"This  is  what  I  mean  to  do,"  he  continued,  without 
appearing  to  remark  the  uneasiness  of  his  young  wife,  "  I 
intend " 

"  Sir,"  said  Marguerite,  rising  hastily,  and  seizing  the 
king's  arm — "  allow  me  a  little  breath  ;  my  emotion — the 
heat — overpowers  me." 

And,  in  truth,  Marguerite  was  as  pale  and  trembling  as 
if  she  was  about  to  fall  on  the  carpet. 

Henry  went  straight  to  a  window,  some  distance  off, 
and  opened  it.  This  window  looked  on  the  river. 

Marguerite  followed  him.  "  Silence,  sire — silence,  for 
pity's  sake  ! "  she  murmured. 

"  What,  madame,"  said  the  Bearnais,  with  his  peculiar 
smile,  "  did  you  not  say  we  were  alone  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  but  have  you  not  heard  me  say  that  by  the 
aid  of  a  tube  introduced  into  the  ceiling  or  the  wall  every- 
thing could  be  heard  ?" 

"  Well,  madame,  well,"  said  the  Bearnais,  earnestly,  and 
in  a  low  voice  ;  "  it  is  true  you  do  not  love  me,  but  you 
are,  at  least,  honorable." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  if  you  were  capable  of  betraying  me,  you 
would  have  allowed  me  to  continue,  as  I  might  have  be- 
trayed myself.  You  stopped  me — I  now  know  that  some 
one  is  concealed  here — that  you  are  an  unfaithful  wife, 
but  a  faithful  ally  ;  and  at  this  moment  I  have  more  need 
of  fidelity  in  politics  than  in  love." 

"  Sir  !  "  replied  Marguerite,  confused. 

"  Good,  good  ;  we  will  talk  of  this  hereafter,"  said 
Henry,  "when  we  know  each  other  better." 

Then,  raising  his  voice — "  Well,"  he  continued,  "  do  you 
breathe  more  freely  now,  madame  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  23 

"  Yes,  sir — yes  ! " 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  BSarnais,  "  I  will  no  longer  in- 
trude on  you.  I  owed  you  my  respects  and  some  advances 
towards  better  acquaintance  ;  deign,  then,  to  accept  them, 
as  they  are  offered,  with  all  my  heart.  Grood  night,  and 
happy  slumbers  ! " 

Marguerite  raised  to  her  husband  her  eyes,  brilliant  with 
gratitude,  and  in  her  turn,  extended  her  hand. 

"  It  is  agreed,"  she  said. 

"  Political  alliance,  frank  and  loyal  ?"  asked  Henry. 

"  Frank  and  loyal,"  was  the  reply. 

And  the  Bearnais  went  towards  the  door,  followed  by 
Marguerite's  look.  Then,  when  the  curtain  had  fallen 
between  them  and  the  bedchamber  : 

"  Thanks,  Marguerite,"  he  said,  in  a  quick  and  low 
tone,  "  thanks  !  You  are  a  true  daughter  of  France.  I 
leave  you  quite  tranquil ;  lacking  your  love,  your  friend- 
ship will  not  fail  me.  I  rely  on  you,  as  you,  for  your  part, 
may  rely  on  me.  Adieu,  madame." 

And  Henry  kissed  his  wife's  hand,  and  pressed  it  gently. 
Then  with  a  quick  step  he  returned  to  his  own  apartment, 
saying  to  himself  in  a  low  voice,  in  the  corridor  : 

"  Who  the  devil  is  with  her  ?  Is  it  the  king,  or  the 
Duke  d'Anjou,  or  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  or  the  Duke  de 
Guise  ?  is  it  a  brother  or  a  lover — is  it  both  ?  F  faith,  I 
am  almost  sorry  now  I  asked  the  baroness  for  this  rendez- 
vous ;  but,  as  my  word  is  pledged,  and  Dariole  awaits  me, 
no  matter.  Yet,  ventre-saint-gris !  this  Margot,  as  my 
brother-in-law,  King  Charles,  calls  her,  is  an  adorable 
creature." 

And  with  a  step  which  betrayed  a  slight  hesitation, 
Henry  of  Navarre  ascended  the  staircase  which  led  to 
Madame  de  Sauve's  apartments. 

Marguerite  had  followed  him  with  her  eyes  until  he 
disappeared.  Then  she  returned  to  her  chamber  and 
found  the  duke  at  the  door  of  the  cabinet.  The  sight 
almost  touched  her  with  remorse. 

The  duke  was  grave,  and  his  knitted  brow  bespoke 
bitter  reflection. 


24  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Marguerite  is  neutral  to-day,"  he  said — "  Marguerite 
will  be  hostile  in  a  week." 

"  Ah  !  you  have  been  listening  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  What  else  could  I  do  in  the  cabinet  ?  " 

"And  did  you  find  that  I  behaved  otherwise  than  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  should  behave  ?  " 

"  No ;  but  differently  from  the  way  in  which  the  mis- 
tress of  the  Duke  de  Guise  should  behave. " 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  queen,  "  I  may  not  love  my  husband, 
but  no  one  has  the  right  to  require  me  to  betray  him. 
Would  you  yourself  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  Princess  de 
Porcian,  your  wife?" 

"  Come,  come,  madame,"  answered  the  duke,  shaking 
his  head,  "  this  is  very  well;  I  see  that  you  do  not  love 
me  as  in  those  days  when  you  disclosed  to  me  the  plot  of 
the  king  against  me  and  my  party." 

"  The  king  was  strong,  and  you  were  weak  ;  Henry  is 
weak,  and  you  are  strong.  You  see  I  play  a  consistent 
part." 

"  Only  you  pass  from  one  camp  to  another." 

"That  was  a  right  I  acquired,  sir,  in  saving  your 
life." 

"  Good,  madame  :  and  as  when  lovers  separate,  they 
return  all  the  gifts  that  have  passed  between  them,  I  will 
save  your  life,  in  my  turn,  and  we  shall  be  quits." 

And  bowing  politely,  the  duke  left  the  room,  nor  did 
Marguerite  attempt  to  retain  him. 

In  the  antechamber  he  found  Gillonne,  who  guided  him 
to  the  window  on  the  ground  floor,  and  in  the  fosse  he 
found  his  page,  with  whom  he  returned  to  the  Hdtel  de 
Guise. 

Marguerite  went  to  the  opened  window. 

"  What  a  marriage  night !  "  she  murmured  to  herself ; 
"  the  husband  flies — the  lover  forsakes  me  ! " 

She  shut  the  window,  and  called  Gillonne  to  help  her  to 
undress  aiid  retire  to  bed. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOia  25 

CHAPTER  IIL 

THE    P  0  E  T-K  ING. 

THE  morrow  and  the  following  days  were  passed  in  a 
succession  of  balls,  tournaments,  and  banquets.  The  king 
seemed  to  have  laid  aside  his  usual  melancholy  and  the 
queen-mother  was  so  occupied  with  embroidery,  orna- 
ments, and  plumes  that  she  could  not  sleep. 

The  Huguenots,  in  some  measure  appeased,  began  to 
assume  silken  pourpoints,  wear  devices,  and  parade  before 
certain  balconies,  as  if  they  were  Catholics. 

On  every  side  the  reaction  in  favor  of  the  Protestants 
was  so  great,  that  it  seemed  that  the  Court  was  about  to 
become  Protestant  itself  ;  even  the  admiral,  in  spite  of 
his  discernment,  was  deceived,  and  was  so  carried  away, 
that  one  evening  he  forgot  for  two  whole  hours  his  tooth- 
pick, which  he  always  used  from  two  o'clock,  the  hour  at 
which  he  dined,  until  eight  o'clock  at  night,  when  he 
sat  down  to  supper. 

The  evening  on  which  the  admiral  thus  unaccountably 
deviated  from  his  usual  habit,  King  Charles  IX.  had  in- 
vited Henry  of  Navarre  and  the  Duke  de  Guise  to  sup  with 
him  :  after  the  repast,  he  went  into  his  chamber,  and  was 
busily  explaining  to  them  the  mechanism  of  a  wolf-trap 
he  had  invented,  when  interrupting  himself — "The 
Admiral  does  not  come  to-night,"  said  he  ;  "  who  has 
seen  him  to-day,  and  can  tell  me  anything  about  him?" 

"  I  have,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  "  and  should 
your  majesty  be  anxious  about  him,  I  can  reassure  you,  for 
I  saw  him  this  morning  at  six,  and  this  evening  at  seven 
o'clock. " 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  replied  the  king,  whose  eyes  were  instantly 
fixed  with  a  searching  expression  on  his  brother-in-law ; 
"  for  a  new-married  man,  Harry,  you  are  very  early." 


26  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOB3. 

"  Yes,  sire,"  answered  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  I  wished 
to  inquire  of  the  admiral,  who  knows  everything,  whether 
some  gentlemen  I  expect  are  on  their  way  hither." 

"  More  gentlemen  !  why,  you  had  eight  hundred  on  the 
day  of  your  wedding,  and  fresh  ones  join  yon  every  day. 
you  are  surely  not  going  to  invade  us?  "  said  Charles  IX., 
smiling. 

The  Duke  de  Gnise  frowned. 

"  Sire,"  returned  the  Bearnais,  "  a  war  with  Flanders  is 
spoken  of,  and  I  am  collecting  round  me  all  those  gentle- 
men of  my  country  whom  I  think  can  be  useful  to  your 
majesty." 

The  duke,  calling  to  mind  the  pretended  project  Henry 
had  mentioned  to  Marguerite  the  day  of  their  marriage, 
listened  still  more  attentively. 

"  Well,  well,"  replied  the  king,  with  a  sinister  smile, 
"  the  more  the  better  ;  let  them  all  come.  But  who  are 
these  gentlemen? — brave  ones,  I  trust?" 

"I  know  not,  sire,  if  my  gentlemen  will  ever  equal 
those  of  your  majesty,  of  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  or  of  the 
Duke  de  Guise,  but  I  know  that  they  will  do  their  best." 

"  Do  you  expect  many?  " 

"  Ten  or  twelve,  perhaps." 

"What  are  their  names  ?" 

"  Sire,  I  cannot  at  this  moment  call  any  of  them  to 
mind,  with  the  exception  of  one,  whom  Teligny  recom- 
mends to  me  as  a  most  accomplished  gentleman,  and 
whose  name  is  De  la  Mole." 

"  De  la  Mole  ! "  said  the  king,  who  was  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  the  genealogy  of  all  the  noble  families  of 
France — "  is  he  not  a  Lerac  de  la  Mole,  a  Provencal?" 

"  Exactly  so,  sire;  you  see,  I  recruit  even  in  Provence." 

"  And  I,"  added  the  Duke  de  Guise,  with  a  sarcastic 
smile,  "  go  even  further  than  the  King  of  Navarre,  for  I 
seek  even  in  Piedmont  all  the  brave  Catholics  I  can  find." 

"  Catholic  or  Huguenot,"  interrupted  the  king,  "  it 
little  matters  to  me,  so  they  are  brave." 

The  expression  of  the  king's  face  whilst  he  uttered  these 
words,  which  thus  united  Catholics  and  Huguenots  in  his 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  27 

thoughts,  was  so  full  of  indifference,  that  the  duke  him- 
self was  surprised. 

"  Your  majesty  is  occupied  with  the  Flemings,"  said 
the  admiral,  to  whom  Charles  had  some  days  previously 
accorded  the  favor  of  entering  without  being  announced, 
and  who  had  overheard  the  king's  last  words. 

"  Ah  !  here  is  my  father,  the  admiral,"  cried  Charles, 
opening  his  arms.  "  We  were  speaking  of  battles,  of 
gentlemen,  of  brave  men — and  he  comes.  It  is  like  the 
loadstone,  that  attracts  the  iron.  My  brother-in-law  of 
Navarre  and  my  cousin  of  Guise  were  speaking  of  rein- 
forcements they  expect  for  your  army.  That  was  the 
subject  of  our  conversation." 

"  And  these  reinforcements  are  come,"  said  the  ad- 
miral. 

"Have  you  any  intelligence  of  them,  monsieur  ?"  asked 
the  Bearnais. 

"Yes,  my  son,  and  particularly  of  M.  de  la  Mole;  he 
was  at  Orleans  yesterday,  and  will  be  in  Paris  to-morrow, 
or  the  day  after." 

"  The  devil  !  You  must  be  a  sorcerer,  M.  1' Admiral," 
said  the  Duke  de  Guise,  "  to  know  what  is  passing  at  thirty 
or  forty  leagues'  distance.  For  my  part,  I  should  like  to 
know  for  a  certainty  what  will  happen,  or  what  has  hap- 
pened, at  Orleans." 

Coligny  remained  unmoved  by  this  speech,  which  evi- 
dently alluded  to  the  death  of  Frai^ois  de  Guise,  the 
duke's  father,  killed  before  Orleans  by  Poltrot  de  M6re, 
and  not  without  a  suspicion  of  the  admiral's  having  been 
concerned  in  the  murder. 

"  Sir,"  replied  he,  coldly,  and  with  dignity,  "  I  am  a 
sorcerer  whenever  I  wish  to  know  anything  that  concerns 
my  own  affairs  or  those  of  the  king.  My  courier  arrived 
an  hour  ago  from  Orleans,  having  traveled,  thanks  to 
the  post,  thirty-two  leagues  in  a  day.  As  M.  de  la  Mole 
only  has  his  own  horse,  he  rides  bat  ten  leagues  a  day,  and 
can  only  arrive  in  Paris  on  the  24th.  Here  is  all  my 
magic." 

"Bravo,  my  father  1"  cried  Charles  IX.  ;  "teach  these 


28  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

young  men  what  the  wisdom  is,  accompanied  by  age, 
which  has  whitened  your  hair  and  beard  ;  so  now  we  will 
send  them  to  talk  of  love  and  tournaments,  and  we  will 
ourselves  discourse  of  our  wars.  Good  councilors  make 
good  kings.  Leave  us,  gentlemen  ;  we  would  be  alone/* 

The  two  young  men  left  the  apartment ;  the  King  of 
Navarre  first,  then  the  Duke  de  Guise ;  but  outside  the 
door  they  separated,  after  a  formal  salute. 

Coligny  followed  them  with  his  eyes,  not  without  dis- 
quietude ;  for  he  never  saw  these  two  men,  who  cherished 
so  deadly  a  hate  against  each  other,  meet,  without  a  dread 
that  some  spark  would  kindle  a  conflagration.  Charles 
saw  what  was  passing  in  his  mind,  and,  laying  his  hand  on 
his  arm  : 

"  Fear  nothing,  my  father  :  I  am  here  to  preserve  peace 
and  obedience.  I  am  really  a  king,  now  that  my  mother 
is  no  longer  queen,  and  she  is  no  longer  queen  since 
Coligny  became  my  father." 

"Oh,  sire  ! "  said  the  admiral,  "  the  Queen  Cather- 
ine  " 

"  Is  a  quarrel-monger.  Peace  is  impossible  with  her. 
These  Italian  Catholics  are  furious,  and  will  hear  of  noth- 
ing but  extermination ;  now,  for  my  part,  I  not  only  wish 
to  pacify,  but  I  wish  to  protect  those  of  the  Reformed 
religion.  The  others  are  too  dissolute,  and  scandalize  me 
with  their  amours  and  their  quarrels.  Shall  I  speak 
frankly  to  yon?"  continued  Charles,  redoubling  in 
energy.  "  I  mistrust  every  one  about  me,  except  my  new 
friends.  I  suspect  the  ambition  of  Tavannes  ;  Vieilleville 
only  cares  for  good  wine,  and  would  betray  his  king  for  a 
cask  of  Malvoisie  ;  Montmorency  only  thinks  of  the  chase, 
and  lives  amongst  his  dcgs  and  falcons  ;  the  Count  de 
Retz  is  a  Spaniard  ;  the  Guises  are  Lorraines.  I  think 
there  are  no  true  Frenchmen  in  France,  except  myself, 
my  brother-in-law  of  Navarre,  and  yourself  ;  but  I  am 
chained  to  the  throne,  and  cannot  command  the  army  ;  it 
is  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  hunt  at  St.  Germains  or  Ram- 
bouillet.  My  brother-in-law  of  Navarre  is  too  young  and 
too  inexperienced,  besides,  he  seems  to  me  exactly  like  his 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  29 

father  Antoine,  mined  by  women.  There  is  but  you, -my 
father,  who  can  be  called,  at  the  same  time,  brave  as 
Caesar  and  wise  as  Plato ;  so  that  I  scarcely  know  what 
to  do — keep  you  near  me,  as  my  adviser,  or  send  you  to 
the  army,  as  its  general.  If  you  counsel  me,  who  will 
command  ?  If  you  command,  who  will  counsel  me  ?  " 

"  Sire/'  said  Coligny,  "  we  must  conquer  first,  and 
then  take  counsel  after  the  victory." 

"  That  is  your  advice — so  be  it.  Monday  you  shall  leave 
for  Flanders,  and  I  for  Amboise." 

"  Your  majesty  leaves  Paris,  then  ?  " 

11  Yes  ;  I  am  weary  of  this  confusion,  and  of  these  fe1  tes. 
I  am  not  a  man  of  action  ;  I  am  a  dreamer.  I  was  not  born 
to  be  a  king  :  I  was  born  to  be  a  poet.  You  shall  form  a 
council — as  long  as  my  mother  has  no  influence  there,  all 
will  go  well.  I  have  already  sent  word  to  Eonsard  to  meet 
me,  and  at  this  moment  I  must  go  and  reply  to  a  sonnet 
my  dear  and  illustrious  poet  has  sent  me.  I  cannot,  there- 
fore, now  give  you  the  documents  necessary  to  make  you 
acquainted  with  the  question  now  debating  between  Philip 
II.  and  myself.  There  is,  besides,  a  plan  of  the  campaign 
drawn  up  by  my  ministers.  I  will  find  it  all  for  you,  and 
give  it  to  you  to-morrow." 

"At  what  o'clock,  sire  ?" 

"  At  ten  o'clock  ;  and  if  by  chance  I  am  busy  making 
verses,  or  in  my  cabinet  writing,  well — you  will  find  all 
the  papers  in  this  red  morocco  portfolio.  The  color  is 
remarkable,  and  you  .cannot  mistake  it.  I  am  now  going 
to  write  to  Eonsard." 

"  Adieu,  sire  ! " 

"  Adieu,  my  father  ! " 

"  Your  hand " 

"  What,  my  hand  ?  In  my  arms,  in  my  heart,  there  is 
your  place  !  Come,  my  old  soldier,  come  ! " 

And  Charles,  drawing  Coligny  towards  him  as  he  in- 
clined himself  before  him,  pressed  his  lips  to  his  forehead. 

The  admiral  wiped  a  tear  from  his  eyes  as  he  left  the 
room. 

Charles  followed  him  with  his  eyes  as  long  as  he  could 


30  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

see,  and  listened  as  long  as  he  conld  catch  a  sound;  and 
when  he  could  no  longer  hear  or  see  anything,  he  turned 
and  entered  his  small  armory.  This  armory  was  the 
favorite  apartment  of  the  king.  It  was  there  he  took 
his  fencing  lessons  with  Pompee,  and  his  lessons  of  poetry 
with  Ronsard.  He  had  assembled  there  all  the  most 
costly  arms  he  had  been  able  to  collect.  The  walls  were 
hung  with  axes,  shields,  spears,  halberds,  pistols,  and 
muskets,  and  that  day  a  famous  armorer  had  brought 
him  a  magnificent  arquebuas,  on  the  barrel  of  which  were 
encrusted,  in  silver,  these  four  verses  composed  by  the 
royal  poet  himself  : 

"  Pour  main  ten  ir  la  foy, 
Je  suis  belle  et  fiddle, 
Aux  ennemis  du  Roi, 
Je  suis  belle  et  cruelle." 

Charles  entered,  as  we  have  said,  this  room,  and  after 
having  shut  the  door  by  which  he  had  entered,  he  raised 
the  tapestry  that  masked  a  passage  leading  into  a  little 
chamber,  where  a  female,  kneeling,  was  saying  her  prayers. 

As  this  movement  was  executed  noiselessly,  and  the  foot- 
steps of  the  king  were  deadened  by  the  thick  carpet,  the 
female  heard  no  sound,  and  continued  to  pray.  Charles 
stood  for  a  moment  pensively  looking  at  her. 

She  was  a  woman  of  thirty-four  or  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  whose  masculine  beauty  was  set  off  by  the  costume 
of  the  peasants  of  Caux.  She  wore  the  high  cap  so  much 
the  fashion  at  the  court  of  France  during  the  time  of  Isabel 
of  Bavaria,  and  her  bodice  was  red  and  embroidered  with 
gold,  like  those  of  the  contadine  of  Nettuno  and  Sora. 
The  apartment  which  she  had  for  nearly  twenty  years 
occupied,  was  close  to  the  bedchamber  of  the  king,  and 
presented  a  singular  mixture  of  elegance  and  rusticity. 
The  palace  had  encroached  upon  the  cottage,  and  the 
cottage  upon  the  palace,  so  that  the  chamber  was  between 
the  simplicity  of  the  peasant  and  the  luxury  of  the  court 
lady. 

on  which  she  knelt  was  of  oak,  beautifully 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  31 

carved,  covered  with  velvet,  and  embroidered  with  gold, 
whilst  the  Bible  (for  she  was  of  the   Reformed  religion), 
from  which  she  was  reading  was  very  old  and  torn,  like 
those  found  in  the  poorest  cottages. 
"Eh,  Madelon!"  said  the  king. 

The  kneeling  female  lifted  her  head  smilingly  at  the 
well  known  voice,  and  rising  from  her  knees, — 

"  Ah  !  it  is  you,  my  son,"  said  she. 

"  Yes,  nurse,  come  here." 

Charles  IX.  let  fall  the  curtain,  and  sat  down  on  the  arm 
of  a  large  chair.  The  nurse  appeared. 

"What  do  you  want  with  me,  Charles  ?" 

f(  Come  near,  and  answer  in  a  low  tone." 

The  nurse  approached  him  with  familiarity. 

"  Here  I  am,"  said  she  ;  "  speak  !" 

"  Is  the  person  I  sent  for  there  ?  " 

"  He  has  been  there  half  an  hour." 

Charles  rose  from  his  seat,  approached  the  window, 
looked  to  assure  himself  there  were  no  eavesdroppers,  went 
towards  the  door,  and  looked  out  there  also,  shook  the 
dust  from  his  trophies  of  arms,  patted  a  large  greyhound 
which  followed  him  wherever  he  went,  stopping  when  he 
stopped,  and  moving  when  he  moved — then  returning  to 
his  nurse  : 

"  Let  him  come  in,  nurse,"  said  he. 

The  nurse  disappeared  by  the  same  passage  by  which 
she  had  entered,  whilst  the  king  went  and  leaned  against 
a  table  on  which  were  scattered  arms  of  every  kind, 
scarcely  had  he  done  so,  when  the  tapestry  was  again 
lifted,  and  the  person  whom  he  expected  entered. 

He  was  a  man  of  about  forty,  his  large  gray  eyes  full  of 
treachery  and  falsehood,  his  nose  curved  like  the  beak  of 
a  screech-owl,  his  cheek-bones  prominent.  His  face  in 
vain  sought  to  assume  an  expression  of  respect,  but  naught 
but  fear  appeared  on  his  blanched  lips. 

Charles  gently  put  his  hand  behind  him,  and  grasped 
the  butt  of  a  pistol  of  a  new  construction,  that  was  dis- 
charged not  by  a  match,  as  formerly,  but  by  a  flint  brought 
in  contact  with  a  wheel  of  steel.  He  fixed  his  eyes  steadily 


32  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

on  the  newcomer,  whilst  he  whistled  with  the  most  per- 
fect precision,  one  of  his  favorite  hunting  airs. 

After  a  pause  of  some  minutes,  during  which  the  ex- 
pression of  the  stranger's  visage  grew  more  and  more  dis- 
composed. 

"  You  are  the  person,"  said  the  king,  "  called  Franyois 
de  Louviers  Maurevel  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  Captain  of  musqueteers  ?  " 

"Yes,  Sire." 

"  I  wished  to  see  you." 

Maarevel  inclined  himself  profoundly. 

"You  know,"  continued  Charles,  laying  a  stress  on 
each  word,  "  that  I  love  all  my  subjects  equally  ?" 

"  I  know,"  stammered  Maurevel,  ' '  that  your  majesty 
is  the  father  of  your  people." 

"  And  that  the  Huguenots  and  Catholics  are  equally 
my  children  ?  " 

Maurevel  remained  silent,  but  his  agitation  was  mani- 
fest to  the  piercing  eyes  of  the  king,  although  he  was 
almost  concealed  in  the  obscurity. 

"  This  displeases  yon,"  said  the  king,  "  who  are  so  great 
an  enemy  to  the  Huguenots." 

Maurevel  fell  on  his  knees. 

"  Sire,"  stammered  he,  "  believe  that " 

"I  believe,"  continued  Charles,  whose  eye  now  changed 
its  glassy  look  for  one  that  seemed  of  fire — "  I  believe 
that  you  had  a  great  desire  at  Moncontour  to  kill  the  ad- 
miral, who  has  just  left  me ;  I  believe  you  missed  your 
aim,  and  that  then  you  entered  the  army  of  my  brother, 
the  Due  d'Anjou ;  I  believe  that  you  enlisted  into  the 
company  of  M.  de  Mouy  de  St.  Phale." 

"  Oh,  Sire  ! " 

"  A  brave  gentleman  from  Picardy." 

"  Sire,  sire  1 "  cried  Maurevel,  "  do  not  overwhelm  me/' 

"He  was  a  brave  soldier,"  continued  Charles,  whose 
features  assumed  an  aspect  of  almost  ferocious  cruelty, 
"  who  received  you  as  if  you  had  been  his  son  ;  fed  you, 
lodged  you,  and  clothed  you." 


MARGtTERITE  DE  VALOIS.  33 

Maurevel  uttered  a  despairing  sigh. 

"  You  called  him  your  father,  and  a  tender  friendship 
existed  between  you  and  the  young  De  Mouy." 

Maurevel,  still  on  his  knees,  bent  himself  more  and 
more  ;  the  king  stood  immovable,  like  a  statue  whose  lips 
only  are  endowed  with  vitality. 

"By  the  way,"  continued  the  king,  "  M.  de  Guise  was 
to  give  you  ten  thousand  crowns  if  you  killed  the  admiral 
— was  he  not  ?  "  The  assassin  struck  his  forehead  against 
the  floor. 

"  One  day  that  your  father,  the  Sieur  de  Mouy,  recon- 
noitred near  Chevreux,  he  let  his  whip  fall,  and  dis- 
mounted to  pick  it  up.  You  were  then  alone  with  him  ; 
you  took  a  pistol  from  your  holster,  and  shot  him  in  the 
back  ;  then  seeing  he  was  dead — for  you  killed  him  on  the 
spot — you  escaped  on  the  horse  he  had  given  you.  This 
is  your  history,  I  believe  ?  " 

And  as  Maurevel  remained  mute  under  this  accusation, 
every  circumstance  of  which  was  true,  the  king  began  to 
whistle  again,  with  the  same  precision  and  melody,  the 
same  hunting  air. 

"  Now  then,  murderer  ! "  said  he,  "  do  you  know  I  have 
a  great  mind  to  hang  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  sire  I"  cried  Maurevel. 

"  Young  De  Mouy  entreated  me  to  do  so  only  yester- 
day, and  I  scarcely  knew  what  answer  to  make  him,  for 
his  demand  was  but  just." 

Maurevel  clasped  his  hands. 

"  All  the  more  just,  since  I  am,  as  you  say,  the  father 
of  my  people  ;  and  that,  as  I  answered  you  now,  I  being 
reconciled  to  the  Huguenots,  they  are  as  much  my  chil- 
dren as  the  Catholics." 

"  Sire,"  said  Maurevel,  in  despair,  "  my  life  is  in  your 
hands  ;  do  with  it  what  you  will." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  and  I  would  not  give  a  halfpenny 
for  it." 

"  But,  sire,"  asked  the  assassin,  "is  there  no  means  of 
ysdeeming  my  crime  ? " 
8 


34  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  None,  that  I  know  of  ;  only  in  your  place — but  thank 
God  I  am  not " 

"  Well,  sire,  were  you  in  my  place  ?  "  murmured  Mau- 
revel. 

"  I  think  I  could  extricate  myself,"  said  the  king. 

Maurevel  raised  himself  on  one  knee  and  one  hand,  fixing 
his  eyes  upon  Charles. 

"  I  am  very  fond  of  young  De  Mouy,"  said  the  king  ; 
"  but,  I  am  equally  fond  of  my  cousin  of  Guise  ;  and  if 
my  cousin  asked  me  to  spare  a  man  that  the  other  wanted 
me  to  hang,  I  confess  I  should  be  embarrassed ;  but  for 
policy  as  well  as  religion's  sake  I  should  comply  with 
Guise's  request ;  for  De  Mouy,  although  a  brave  gentle- 
man, is  but  a  petty  personage  compared  with  a  prince  of 
Lorraine." 

During  these  words,  Maurevel  slowly  rose,  like  a  man 
whose  life  is  saved. 

"As  in  your  situation  it  is  very  important  to  gain 
the  duke's  favor,  listen  to  what  he  said  to  me  last 
night. 

Maurevel  drew  nearer. 

"  '  Imagine,  sire,'  said  he  to  me,  '  that  every  morning, 
at  ten  o'clock,  my  deadliest  enemy  passes  down  the  Rue 
Saint  Germain-l'Auxerrois,  on  his  return  from  the  Louvre. 
I  see  him  from  a  barred  window  in  the  room  of  my  old 
preceptor,  the  Canon  Pierre  Pile,  and  I  pray  the  devil  to 
open  the  earth  and  swallow  him  in  its  abysses.' — Now, 
Maurevel,  perhaps  if  you  were  the  devil,  it  would  please 
the  duke  ?  " 

"  But,  sire,"  stammered  Maurevel,  "I  cannot  make  the 
earth  open." 

"You  made  it  open,  however,  wide  enough  for  De 

Mouy.  It  was  with  a  pistol  that .  Have  you  this 

famous  pistol  still  ?" 

"  I  am  a  better  marksman,  sire,  with  an  arquebnss  than 
a  pistol,"  replied  Maurevel,  now  quite  reassured. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  the  king  ;  "  I  am  sure  M.  de  Guise 
will  not  care  how  it  is  done,  so  it  be  done." 

"  But,"  said  Maurevel,  "  I  must  have  a  weapon  I  can 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  35 

rely  on,  as,  perhaps,  I  shall  have  to  fire  from  a  long  dis- 
tance." 

"I  have  ten  arquebnsses  in  this  chamber,"  replied 
Charles  IX.,  "with  which  I  hit  a  crown-piece  at  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  paces — will  you  try  one  ?  " 

"  Most  willingly,  sire  ! "  cried  Maurevel,  advancing  to- 
wards the  one  that  had  been  that  day  brought  to  the 
king. 

"  No  ;  not  that  oue,"  said  the  king ;  "  I  reserve  that 
for  myself.  Some  day  I  will  have  a  grand  hunt,  and  then 
I  hope  to  use  it.  Take  any  other  you  like." 

Maurevel  detached  one  from  a  trophy.  "  And  who  is 
this  enemy,  sire  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  How  should  I  know,"  replied  Charles,  with  a  contemp- 
tuous look. 

"  I.  must  ask  M.  de  Guise,  then,"  faltered  Maurevel. 

The  king  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Do  not  ask,"  said  he  ;  "  for  M.  de  Guise  will  not  an- 
swer. People  do  not  generally  answer  such  questions  ;  it 
is  for  those  who  do  not  wish  to  be  hanged  to  guess." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you  he  passes  the  canon's  house  ever  morning 
at  ten  o'clock." 

"  So  many  pass,  would  your  majesty  deign  to  give  me 
any  certain  sign  ?  " 

"  Oh,  to-morrow  he  will  carry  a  red  morrocco  portfolio 
under  his  arm." 

"That  is  sufficient,  sire." 

"You  have  still  the  horse  M.  de  Mouy  gave  you,  have 
you  not  ?  " 

"  Sire,  I  have  a  horse  that  is  fleeter  than  any  other  in 
France." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  in  the  least  anxious  about  you  ;  only  it 
is  as  well  to  let  you  know  there  is  a  back-door." 

"  Thanks,  sire  ;  pray  Heaven  for  me  ! " 

"  Oh,  pray  to  the  devil  rather  ;  for  by  his  aid  only  can 
you  escape  a  halter." 

"  Adieu,  sire." 

"Adieu!    By  the   way,    M.    de  Maurevel,   remember. 


36  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

that  if  I   hear  of  you   before  ten   to-morrow,  or  do  not 
hear  of  you  afterwards,  there  is  ail  oubliette  at  the  Louvre." 
And  Charles  began  to  whistle,   with  more  than  usual 
precision,  his  favorite  air. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  EVENING  OF  THE  24TH  OF  AUGUST,  1572. 

OUR  readers  have  not  forgotten  that  in  the  previous 
chapter  Henry  was  anxiously  expecting  the  arrival  of  a 
gentleman  named  De  la  Mole. 

This  young  gentleman,  as  the  admiral  had  anticipated, 
entered  Paris  by  the  gate  of  Saint  Marcel,  the  evening  of 
the  24th  of  August,  1572  ;  and  bestowing  a  contemptuous 
glance  on  the  numerous  hostelries  that  displayed  their 
picturesque  signs  on  either  side  of  him,  he  rode  on  into  the 
heart  of  the  city,  and  after  having  crossed  the  Place 
Maubert,  Le  Petit-Pont,  the  Pont-N6tre-Dame,  and 
along  the  quay,  he  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  Rue  de 
TArbre-Sec. 

The  name  pleased  him,  no  doubt,  for  he  entered  the 
street,  and  finding  on  his  left  a  large  plate  of  iron  swing- 
ing, creaking  on  its  hinges,  he  stopped,  and  read  these 
words,  "La  belle  Etoile,"  written  on  a  scroll  beneath  the 
sign,  which  was  a  most  attractive  one  for  a  traveler,  as  it 
represented  a  fowl  roasting  in  the  midst  of  a  black  sky, 
whilst  a  man  in  a  red  cloak  held  out  his  hands  and  his 
purse  towards  it. 

"  Here,"  said  the  gentleman  to  himself,  "is  an  inn 
that  promises  well,  and  the  landlord  must  be  a  most  in- 
genious fellow.  I  have  always  heard  that  the  Rue  de 
TArbre-Sec  was  near  the  Louvre  ;  and  provided  that 
the  interior  answers  to  the  exterior,  I  shall  be  admirably 
lodged." 

Whilst  this  monologue  was  going  on,  another  person 
entered  the  other  end  of  the  street,  and  stopped  also  to 
admire  the  sign  of  La  belle  Etoile. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  37 

The  gentleman  whom  we  already  know,  at  least, 
by  name,  rode  a  white  horse,  and  wore  a  black  doublet 
ornamented  with  jet ;  his  cloak  was  of  violet  velvet,  his 
boots  were  of  black  leather,  and  the  hilts  of  his  sword  and 
dagger  were  of  steel,  beautifully  worked  ;  his  age  from 
twenty-four  to  twenty-five,  his  complexion  dark,  his  eyes 
blue ;  a  small  mustache  shaded  a  beautifully  cut  mouth, 
full  of  pearly  teeth,  that  seemed,  whenever  he  showed 
them,  to  light  up  his  whole  face  with  a  smile  of  melan- 
choly sweetness. 

Nothing  could  form  a  greater  contrast  with  him  than 
the  second  traveler.  Beneath  his  slouched  hat  appeared 
a  profusion  of  hair,  rather  red  than  brown  ;  large  gray 
eyes  that  on  the  slightest  occasion  sparkled  so  fiercely, 
that  they  seemed  black  ;  a  fair  complexion,  a  light  mus- 
tache, and  splendid  teeth,  completed  his  description  ;  and  lie 
was,  with  his  white  skin  and  fine  form,  what  is  generally 
termed  a  handsome  cavalier,  and  during  the  last  hour, 
which  he  had  employed  in  staring  up  at  all  the  windows, 
the  ladies  had  honored  him  with  no  small  share  of  their 
attention. 

He  it  was  who  first  addressed  the  other  gentleman,  who 
was  with  himself  looking  at  the  sign  of  La  belle  Etoile. 

"  Mordi !  monsieur,"  s'aid  he,  with  the  accent  that 
characterizes  the  natives  of  Piedmont — "we  are  close  to 
the  Louvre,  are  we  not  ?  At  all  events,  I  think  your 
choice  is  the  same  as  mine,  and  I  am  highly  flattered  by 
it." 

"  Monsieur,"  replied  the  other,  with  a  provincial  ac- 
cent that  rivaled  that  of  his  companion,  "  I  believe  this 
inn  is  near  the  Louvre,  but  I  have  not  yet  made  up  my 
mind  to  enter  it." 

"  You  are  undecided  :  the  house  is  tempting,  neverthe- 
less. You  must  allow  the  sign  is  very  inviting." 

"  Very  !  and  it  is  for  that  very  reason  I  mistrust  it,  for 
Paris  is  full  of  sharpers,  and  you  may  be  just  as  well 
tricked  by  a  sign  as  by  anything  else." 

" Mordi !"  replied  the  Piedmontese,   "I  don't  care  a 
fig  for  their  tricks ;  and  if  the  host  does  not  serve  me  a 
f  <  j  '  \  o  o 

V  s  i   V     s 

;    • 


38  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOES. 

chicken  as  well  roasted  as  the  one  on  his  sign,  I  will  put 
him  on  the  spit  and  roast  him  instead.  Come,  let  ns 
go  in." 

"  You  have  decided  me,"  said  the  Provenqal,  laughing  ; 
st  precede  me,  I  beg." 

"  Impossible,  monsieur — I  could  not  think  of  it ;  for  I 
am  only  your  most  obedient  servant,  the  Count  Annibal 
de  Coconnas." 

"  And  I,  monsieur,  but  the  Count  Joseph  Boniface  de 
Lerac  de  la  Mole,  equally  at  your  service." 

"  Since  that  is  the  case,  let  us  take  each  other's  arm, 
and  go  in  so." 

The  result  of  this  proposition  was,  that  the  two  young 
men  got  off  their  horses,  threw  the  bridles  to  the  ostler, 
linked  arms,  adjusted  their  swords,  and  advanced  towards 
the  door  of  the  inn,  where  stood  mine  host,  who  did  not 
seem  to  notice  them,  so  busy  was  he  talking  with  a  tall 
man,  wrapped  in  a  large  sad-colored  cloak  like  an  owl 
buried  in  her  feathers. 

The  two  gentlemen  were  so  near  the  host  and  his  friend 
in  the  sad-colored  cloak,  that  Coconnas,  impatient  at 
being  thus  neglected,  touched  his  sleeve. 

He  appeared  suddenly  to  perceive  them,  and  dismissed 
his  friend  with  an  "  Au  revoir  !  be  sure  and  let  me  know 
the  hour  appointed." 

"Well,  monsieur  le  drdle,"  said  Coconnas,  "do  not  you 
see  we  have  business  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  beg  pardon,  gentlemen,"  said  the  host ;  "  I  did  not 
see  you." 

"  Eh,  mordi  I  then  you  ought  to  have  seen  us  ;  and  now 
that  you  do  see  us,  say  '  M.  le  comte/  and  not  merely 
'  Monsieur. ' )J 

La  Mole  stood  by,  leaving  Coconnas,  who  seemed  to 
have  undertaken  the  affair,  to  speak  ;  but  it  was  plain, 
from  the  expression  of  his  face,  that  he  was  fully  pre- 
pared to  act  upon  occasion. 

"  Well,  what  is  your  pleasure,  M.  le  comte  ? "  asked 
the  landlord,  in  a  quiet  tone. 

"  Ah,  that's  better  ;  is  it  not  ?  "  said  Coconnas,  turning 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  39 

to  La  Mole,  who  inclined  his  head  affirmatively.  "  Mon- 
sier  le  comte  and  myself  wish  to  sup  and  sleep  here  to- 
night. » 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  host,  "  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I 
have  only  one  chamber,  and  I  am  afraid  that  would  not 
suit  you." 

"  So  much  the  better,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  we  will  go  and 
lodge  somewhere  else." 

"  I  shall  stay  here,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  my  horse  is  tired. 
I  will  have  the  room,  since  you  will  not." 

"  Ah  !  that  is  quite  different,"  replied  the  host,  coolly. 
"I  cannot  lodge  you  at  all,  then." 

"Mordi!"  cried  Coconnas,  "here's  a  pretty  fellow! 
Just  now  you  could  not  lodge  us  because  we  were  two, 
and  now  you  have  not  room  for  one.  You  will  not  lodge 
ns  at  all,  then  ?  " 

"  Since  you  take  this  high  tone,  gentlemen,  I  will  an- 
swer you  frankly." 

"  Answer,  then  ;  only  answer  quickly." 

"  Well,  then,  I  would  rather  not  have  the  honor  of  lodg- 
ing you  at  all." 

"For  what  reason?"  asked  Coconnas,  growing  white 
with  rage. 

"  Because  you  have  no  servants,  and  for  one  master's 
room  full,  I  should  have  two  servants'  rooms  empty  ;  so 
that,  if  I  let  you  have  the  master's  room,  I  run  the  risk 
of  not  letting  the  others." 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  Coconnas,  "  do  you  not  think  we 
ought  to  thrash  this  fellow  ?" 

"  Decidedly,"  said  La  Mole,  preparing  himself,  together 
with  Coconnas,  to  lay  his  whip  over  the  host's  back." 

But  the  landlord,  despite  this  demonstration,  contented 
himself  with  retreating  a  step  or  two. 

"  It  is  easy  to  see,"  said  he  in  a  tone  of  raillery,  "  that 
these  gentlemen  are  from  the  provinces.  At  Paris,  it  is 
no  longer  the  fashion  to  kill  innkeepers — only  great  men 
are  killed  nowadays  ;  and  if  you  make  any  disturbance, 
I  will  call  my  neighbors,  and  instead  of  you  beating  me, 
you  shall  be  beaten  yourselves." 


40  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Mordi!"  cried  Coconnas,  in  a  rage  ;  "  he  is  laughing 
at  us." 

"  Gregoire,  my  arquebuss,"  said  the  host,  with  the  same 
yoice  with  which  he  would  have  said,  "  Give  these  gentle- 
men a  chair." 

"  Trippe  del  papa  !  "  cried  Coconuas,  drawing  his  sword  ; 
"  rouse  yourself  M.  de  la  Mole." 

"No,  no  ;  for  whilst  we  rouse  ourselves,  our  supper  will 
get  cold." 

"  What,  you  think "  cried  Coconnas. 

"  That  M.  de  la  Belle  Etoile  is  right ;  only  he  does  not 
know  how  to  treat  his  guests,  especially  when  they  are 
gentlemen  ;  for  instead  of  saying,  '  Gentlemen  I  do  not 
want  you/  he  should  have  said,  '  Enter,  gentlemen ' — at 
the  same  time  reserving  to  himself  the  right  to  charge  in  his 
bill — Master's  room,  so  much  ;  servants,  so  much." — With 
these  words,  La  Mole  pushed  the  host,  who  was  looking 
for  his  arquebuss,  on  one  side,  and  entered  with  Coconnas. 

"Well,"  said  Coconnas,  "I  am  sorry  to  sheathe  my 
sword  before  I  have  ascertained  that  it  is  as  sharp  as  that 
rascal's  larding-needle." 

"  Patience,  my  dear  friend/'  said  La  Mole.  "  All  the 
inns  in  Paris  are  full  of  gentlemen  come  to  attend  the 
King  of  Navarre's  marriage,  and  we  shall  have  great  diffi- 
culty in  finding  another  apartment  ;  besides,  perhaps  it 
is  the  custom  to  receive  strangers  at  Paris  in  this  manner." 

Mordi  !  how  quiet  you  are,  M.  de  la  Mole  !"  muttered 
Coconnas,  curling  his  red  mustache  with  rage.  "  But 
let  the  scoundrel  take  care ;  for  if  his  meat  be  not  ex- 
cellent, if  his  bed  be  hard,  his  wine  less  than  three  years 
in  bottle,  and  his  waiter  be  not  as  pliant  as  a  reed " 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  the  landlord,  whetting  his  knife  on  a 
strap,  "you  may  make  yourself  easy  ;  you  are  in  a  laud 
of  plenty." 

Then,  in  a  low  tone,  he  added — "  These  are  some 
Huguenots  ;  they  have  grown  so  insolent  since  the  mar- 
riage of  their  B6arnais  with  Mademoiselle  Marguerite  ! " 
Then,with  a  smile  that  would  have  made  his  guests  shudder 
had  they  seen  it : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  41 

"  How  strange  it  would  be  if  I  were  just  to  have  two 
Huguenots  come  to  my  house,  when " 

"Now,  then,"  interrupted  Coconnas,  "are  we  going  to 
have  any  supper  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  soon  as  you  please,  monsieur/'  returned  the 
host,  softened,  no  doubt,  by  the  last  reflection. 

"Well,  then,  the  sooner  the  better,"  said  Coconnas; 
and  turning  to  La  Mole  : 

"  Pray,  M.  le  comte,  whilst  our  room  is  being  prepared 
tell  me,  do  you  think  Paris  seems  a  gay  city  ?  " 

"Ma foil  no,"  said  La  Mole.  "All  the  Parisians  I 
saw  had  most  forbidding  faces  ;  perhaps  they  are  afraid 
of  the  storm  ;  for  the  sky  looks  very  black,  and  the  air 
feels  heavy." 

"  Are  you  not  looking  for  the  Louvre,  count  ?  " 

"Yes  !  and  you  also,  Monsieur  de  Coconnas." 

"  Well,  let  us  look  for  it  together." 

"  It  is  rather  late  to  go  out,  is  it  not  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  Early  or  late,  I  must  go  out  :  my  orders  are  peremp- 
tory— '  Come  instantly  to  Paris,  and  communicate  with 
the  Duke  de  Guise  without  delay/ ' 

At  the  name  of  the  Duke  de  Guise,  the  landlord  drew 
nearer. 

"I  think  the  rascal  is  listening  to  us,"  said  Coconnas, 
who  could  not  forgive  the  host  his  rude  reception  of  them. 

"  I  am  listening,  gentlemen,"  replied  he,  taking  off  his 
cap  ;  "  but  it  is  to  serve  you.  I  heard  the  great  duke's 
name  mentioned,  and  I  came  immediately.  What  can  I 
do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  this  name  is  magical,  since  it  renders  you  so 
polite.  Tell  me,  master — what's  your  name  ?  " 

"  La  Huridre,"  replied  the  host,  bowing. 

"  Well,  Master  la  Huriere  do  you  think  my  arm  is  lighter 
than  the  Due  de  Guise's,  who  makes  you  so  civil  ?  " 

"  No,  M.  le  comte ;  but  it  is  not  so  long ;  besides,  I 
must  tell  you,  that  the  great  Henry  is  the  idol  of  th? 
Parisians." 

"  What  Henry  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

"  There  is  only  one." 


42  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Which  ?" 

"  Henry  de  Guise  ! " 

"  You  are  mistaken  ;  there  is  another,  whom  I  desire 
you  do  not  speak  ill  of,  and  that  is  Henry  of  Navarre, 
besides  Henry  de  Cond6,  who  has  his  share  of  merit." 

"  I  do  not  know  them/'  said  the  landlord. 

"  But  I  do  ;  and  as  I  am  directed  to  the  King  of  Na- 
varre, I  desire  you  not  to  speak  slightingly  of  him  before 
me." 

The  host  only  replied  by  touching  his  cap,  and  con- 
tinued speaking  to  Coconnas  : 

"  Monsieur  is  going  to  see  the  great  Duke  de  Guise. 
Monsieur  is  very  fortunate.  He  is  come,  no  doubt, 
for " 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  For  the  fe'te,"  replied  the  host,  with  a  singular  smile. 

"For  all  the  f6tes,"  replied  Coconnas  ;  "for  Paris  is,  I 
hear,  a  succession  of  fe'tes.  Does  not  every  one  find 
plenty  of  amusement  ?" 

"  Pretty  well ;  but  they  will  have  more  soon,  I  hope." 

"  The  marriage  of  the  King  of  Navarre  has  brought  a 
great  many  people  to  Paris,  has  it  not  ? "  said  La  Mole. 

"  A  great  many  Huguenots — yes,"  replied  La  Hnri^re, 
but  suddenly  changing  his  tone  : 

"  Pardon  me,  gentlemen,"  said  he  ;  "  perhaps  you  are 
of  that  religion  ?  " 

"  I,"  cried  Coconnas,  "  I  am  as  good  a  Catholic  as  the 
pope  himself." 

La  Huri&re  looked  at  La  Mole,  but  La  Mole  did  not,  or 
would  not  comprehend  him. 

"  If  you  do  not  know  the  King  of  Navarre,"  said  La 
Mole,  "  perhaps  you  know  the  admiral.  I  have  heard  he 
has  some  influence  at  court,  and  as  I  have  letters  for  him, 
perhaps  you  will  so  far  sully  your  mouth  as  to  tell  me 
where  he  lives  ?  " 

"  He  did  live  in  the  Rue  de  Bethisy,"  replied  the  host, 
with  a  satisfaction  he  could  not  conceal. 

"  He  did  live  ?  "  said  La  Mole.     "  He  has  left,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes — this  world,  perhaps." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  43 

"  What ! "  cried  both  the  gentlemen  together,  "  the 
admiral  dead  ?  " 

"  What,  M.  de  Coconnas,  are  you  a  friend  of  the  Duke 
de  Guise,  and  not  know  that  ?  " 

"  Know  what  ?  " 

"  That  the  day  before  yesterday  the  admiral  was  passing 
before  the  house  of  the  Canon  Pierre  Piles,  when  he  was 
fired  at— 

"  And  killed  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  No  ;  he  had  his  arm  broken  and  two  fingers  taken  off  j 
but  it  is  hoped  the  balls  were  poisoned." 

"  How,  wretch  ! "  cried  La  Mole  ;  "  hoped  ?  " 

"  Believed,  I  mean/'  said  the  host,  winking  at  Cocon- 
nas ;  "  it  was  a  slip  of  the  tongue." 

' '  Really  !  "  said  Coconnas,  joyfully. 

"  Really  ! "  said  La  Mole,  sorrowfully. 

"  It  is  just  as  I  tell  you,   gentlemen,"  said  the  host. 

"  In  that  case,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  must  go  instantly  to 
the  Louvre.  Shall  I  find  the  King  of  Navarre  there  ?  " 

"  Most  likely,  since  he  lives  there." 

"  And  I,"  said  Coconnas,  "  must  also  go  to  the  Louvre. 
Shall  I  find  the  Duke  de  Guise  there  ?  " 

"  Most  likely  ;  for  he  has  this  instant  passed  with  two 
hundred  gentlemen." 

"  Come,  then,  M.  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  I  am  ready,"  returned  he. 

"  But  your  supper,  gentlemen  !"  cried  La  Huri^re^ 

"  Ah,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  shall  most  likely  sup  with  the 
King  of  Navarre." 

"  And  I,"  said  Coconnas,  "  with  the  Duke  de  Guise." 

"  And  I,"  said  the  host,  after  having  watched  the  two 
gentlemen  take  the  road  to  the  Louvre,  "  I  will  go  and 
burnish  my  steel  cap,  put  a  match  to  my  arqnebuss,  and 
sharpen  my  partisan,  for  no  one  knows  what  may  happen/r 


DUMAS— VOL.  III.— 3 


44  MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS, 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF    THE    LOUVEB    IN    PAETICULAE,    AND    OF    VIETUE    Iff 
GENERAL. 

THS  two  young  men,  directed  by  the  first  person  they 
met,  went  down  the  Rue  d'Averon,  the  Rue  St.  Germain- 
1'Auxerrois,  and  soon  found  themselves  before  the  Louvre, 
whose  towers  were  beginning  to  be  lost  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you  ?"  asked  Coconnas  of 
La  Mole,  who  stopped  before  the  old  chateau,  and  gazed, 
not  without  awe,  on  the  drawbridges,  the  narrow  windows, 
and  the  pointed  belfries,  presented  to  him. 

"  I  scarcely  know/*  said  La  Mole ;  "  my  heart  beats 
strangely.  I  am  not  timid,  but  this  old  palace  seems  so 
gloomy  and  terrible." 

"  For  my  part,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  I  feel  in  excellent 
spirits.  My  dress  is  rather  disordered,"  continued  he, 
"but  never  mind  ;  it  will  prove  I  have  obeyed  my  instruc- 
tions, and  come  promptly  on  my  arrival." 

The  two  young  men  continued  their  way,  each  influ- 
enced by  the  feelings  he  had  expressed. 

The  Louvre  was  guarded  with  more  than  usual  care, 
and  all  the  sentinels  were  doubled.  Our  cavaliers  were 
somewhat  embarrassed,  therefore,  but  Coconnas,  who  had 
remarked  that  the  Duke  de  Guise's  name  acted  like  a  talis- 
man on  the  Parisians,  approached  the  sentinel,  and  mak- 
ing use  of  the  duke's  name,  demanded  to  enter.  The 
name  seemed  to  produce  its  ordinary  effect  upon  the 
soldier,  who,  however,  asked  Coconnas  if  he  had  the 
countersign. 

Coconnas  was  forced  to  confess  he  had  not. 

"  Stand  back,  then,"  said  the  soldier. 

At  this  moment,  a  person   who  was   talking  with  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  45 

officer  of  the  guard  when  Coconnas  demanded  leave  to 
enter,  advanced  to  him. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  M.  de  Guise?"  asked  he, 
with  a  strong  German  accent. 

"  I  wish  to  see  him,"  said  Cocounas. 

"  Impossible — the  duke  is  with  the  king." 

"  But  I  have  a  letter  for  him." 

"  Ah,  that  is  different.     What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  The  Count  Annibal  de  Coconnas." 

"  Will  Monsieur  Annibal  give  me  the  letter  ?  " 

"On  my  word,"  said  La  Mole  to  himself,  "I  hope  I 
may  find  another  gentleman,  equally  polite,  to  conduct 
me  to  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Give  me  the  letter,"  said  the  German  gentleman, 
holding  out  his  hand  towards  Coconnas. 

"  Mordi  !  "  replied  the  Piedrnontese,  "  I  scarcely  know 
whether  I  ought,  as  I  have  not  the  honor  of  knowing 
you." 

"It  is  Monsieur  de  Besme,"  said  the  sentinel,  "you 
may  safely  give  him  your  letter,  I'll  answer  for  it." 

"M.  de  Besme  !"  cried  Coconnas';  "  with  the  greatest 
pleasure.  Here  is  the  letter.  Pardon  my  hesitation  ;  but 
when  one  is  entrusted  with  an  important  commission,  one 
ought  to  be  careful." 

"  There  is  no  need  of  any  excuse,"  said  De  Besme. 

"  Perhaps,  sir,"  said  La  Mole,  "  you  will  be  so  kind  as 
to  do  the  same  for  my  letter  that  you  have  done  for  that 
of  my  friend  ?  " 

"  Who  are  you,  monsieur  ?" 

"  The  Count  Lerac  de  la  Mole." 

"  I  don't  know  the  name." 

"  No  doubt ;  for  I  am  only  just  arrived  in  Paris,  for 
the  first  time." 

"  Where  do  you  come  from  ?" 

"  From  Provence." 

"  With  a  letter  also  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  For  the  Duke  de  Guise  ?" 

"  No  :  for  the  King  of  Navarre." 


46  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  am  not  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  Navarre,"  said 
De  Besme,  coldly,  "  and  therefore  I  cannot  take  your 
letter." 

And  turning  on  his  heel,  he  entered  the  Louvre,  bid- 
ding Coconnas  follow  him. 

La  Mole  was  left  alone. 

At  this  moment  a  troop  of  cavaliers,  p.bout  a  hundred 
in  number,  came  out  from  the  Louvre. 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  the  sentinel  to  his  comrade,  "  here 
come  De  Mouy  and  his  Huguenots  !  See  how  joyous  they 
all  are.  The  king  has  promised  them,  no  doubt,  to  put 
to  death  the  assassin  of  the  admiral ;  and  as  it  was  he 
who  murdered  De  Mouy*s  father,  the  son  will  kill  two 
birds  with  one  stone." 

"  Did  you  not  say/'  interrupted  La  Mole,  "  that  this 
officer  is  M.  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  La  Mole.  "  That  was  all  I  wished 
to  know  ; "  and  advancing  to  the  chief  of  the  cavaliers. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  I  am  told  you  are  M.  de  Mouy." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returriecl  the  officer,  courteously.  "  May  I 
inquire  whom  I  have  the  honor  of  addressing  ?" 

"  The  Count  Lerac  de  la  Mole." 

The  young  men  bowed  to  each  other. 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  De  Mouy. 

"  Monsieur,  I  am  just  arrived  from  Aix,  and  I  have  a 
letter  from  M.  d'Aunac,  governor  of  Provence,  for  the 
King  of  Navarre.  How  can  I  give  it  to  him  ?  How  can 
I  enter  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  easier  than  to  enter  the  Louvre,"  replied 
De  Mouy  ;  "  but  I  fear  the  king  will  be  unable  to  see  you 
at  this  hour.  I  will,  however,  if  you  please,  conduct  you 
to  his  apartments,  and  then  yon  must  manage  for  yourself." 

"  A  thousand  thanks  ! " 

"  Come  then,"  said  De  Mouy. 

De  Mouy  dismounted,  advanced  towards  the  wicket, 
passed  the  sentinel,  conducted  La  Mole  into  the  chateau, 
and,  opening  the  door  leading  to  the  king's  apartments  : 

ff  Enter,  and  inquire  for  yourself,  monsieur,"  said  he. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  4-7 

And  saluting  La  Mole,  he  retired. 
La  Mole,  left  alone,  looked  round.      The  anteroom  was 
vacant.     He  advanced  a  few  paces  and  found  himself  in  a 


"  I  will  walk  straight  on,"  thought  he,  "and  I  must 
meet  some  one." 

Suddenly  the  door  opposite  that  by  which  he  had  en- 
tered opened,  and  two  pages  appeared,  lighting  a  lady  of 
noble  bearing  and  exquisite  beauty. 

The  glare  of  the  torches  fell  full  on  La  Mole,  who  stood 
motionless. 

The  lady  stopped  also. 

"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ? "  said  she,  in  a  voice  of 
exquisite  sweetness. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  pardon  me  ;  I  have 
just  left  M.  de  Mouy,  who  was  so  good  as  to  conduct  me 
here,  and  I  wish  to  see  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  The  king  is  not  here,  sir  ;  he  is  with  his  brother-in- 
law.  But,  in  his  absence,  could  you  not  say  to  the 
queen " 

"Oh,  yes,  madame,"  returned  La  Mole,  "if  I  could 
obtain  audience  of  her." 

"  You  have  it  already,  sir  " 

"  What  1 "  cried  La  Mole. 

"  I  am  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

La  Mole  started  with  surprise. 

"Speak,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "but  speak  quickly,  for 
the  queen-mother  is  waiting  for  me." 

"  If  the  queen-mother  waits  for  you,  madame,"  said  La 
Mole,  "  suffer  me  to  leave  you,  for  I  am  incapable  of  col- 
lecting my  ideas,  or  of  thinking  of  aught  but  admiration." 

Marguerite  advanced  graciously  towards  the  handsome 
young  man,  who,  without  knowing  it,  acted  like  a  finished 
courtier. 

"  Eecover  yourself,  sir,"  said  she  ;  "  I  will  wait." 

"  Pardon  me,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  that  I  did  not 
salute  you  with  the  respect  due  to  you,  but " 

"  You  took  me  for  one  of  my  ladies  ?  "  said  Marguerite, 
smiling. 


48  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  No  ;  but  for  the  shade  of  the  beautiful  Diana  of  Poic- 
tiers,  who  is  said  to  haunt  the  Louvre." 

"  Come,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  see  you  will  make 
your  fortune  at  court ;  your  letter  was  not  needed,  but 
still,  give  it  me  :  I  will  take  care  the  King  of  Navarre  has 
it."' 

In  an  instant  La  Mole  threw  open  his  doublet,  and  drew 
from  his  breast  a  letter  enveloped  in  silk.  Marguerite 
took  the  letter,  and  glanced  at  the  writing. 

"  Are  you  not  M.  de  la  Mole  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  Yes,  madame.  Can  I  hope  my  name  is  not  unknown 
to  you?" 

"  I  have  heard  my  husband,  and  the  Due  d'Alen9on, 
my  brother,  speak  of  you.  I  know  they  expect  you." 

And  she  placed  the  letter  in  her  corsage,  glittering  with 
gold  and  diamonds. 

"Now,  sir,"  said  she,  "descend  to  the  gallery  below, 
and  wait  until  some  one  comes  to  you  from  the  King  of 
Navarre.  One  of  my  pages  will  show  you  the  way." 

And  Marguerite  disappeared,  like  a  dream. 

"  Are  you  coming,  sir  ? "  cried  the  page  who  was  to 
conduct  La  Mole  to  the  lower  gallery. 

"  Oh,  yes — yes  ! "  cried  La  Mole,  joyfully  ;  for,  as  the 
page  led  him  the  same  way  that  Marguerite  had  gone  by, 
he  hoped  to  see  her  again. 

As  he  descended  the  staircase,  he  perceived  her  below  ; 
and  whether  she  heard  his  step,  or  by  chance,  she  looked 
round,  and  La  Mole  saw  her  features  a  second  time. 

The  page  preceding  La  Mole  descended  a  story  lower, 
opened  one  door,  then  another,  and  stopping — "  It  is  here 
you  are  to  wait,"  said  he. 

La  Mole  entered  the  gallery,  the  door-  of  which  closed 
after  him. 

The  gallery  was  vacant,  with  the  exception  of  one  gen- 
tleman, who  was  sauntering  up  and  down,  and  seemed  also 
waiting  for  some  one. 

It  was  so  dark,  that  though  not  twenty  paces  apart,  it 
was  impossible  for  either  to  recognize  the  other's  face. 

La  Mole  drew  nearer. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  49 

"  By  Heaven  ! "  muttered  he — "  here  is  M.  de  Coconnas 
again  ! " 

At  the  sound  of  footsteps,  Coconnas  turned,  and  recog- 
nized La  Mole. 

" Mordi!"  cried  he.  "The  devil  take  me,  but  here  is 
M.  de  la  Mole  !  What  am  I  doing  ?  Swearing  in  the 
king's  palace.  Well,  never  mind  ;  the  king  does  not  much 
care  where  he  swears. — Here  we  are  at  last,  then,  in  the 
Louvre ! " 

"  Yes  :  I  suppose  M.  de  Besme  introduced  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  is  the  most  polite  German  I  ever  met  with. 
Who  brought  you  in  ?" 

"M.  de  Mouy.  I  told  you  the  Huguenots  had  some 
interest  at  court.  Have  you  seen  M.  de  Guise  ?  " 

"  No — not  yet.  Have  you  obtained  an  audience  of  the 
King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No — but  I  soon  shall.  I  was  conducted  here,  and  told 
to  wait." 

"  Ah,  you  will  see  we  shall  be  invited  to  some  grand 
sapper,  and  placed  side  by  side.  How  singular!  We 
seem  inseparable.  By  the  way,  are  you  hungry  ?  " 

"No/' 

"  And  yet  you  seemed  anxious  to  taste  the  good  cheer  of 
La  Belle  Etoile." 

At  this  moment  the  door  communicating  with  the  king's 
apartment  opened,  and  M.  de  Besme  entered. 

He  scrutinized  both  gentlemen,  and  then  motioned 
Coconnas  to  follow  him. 

Coconnas  waved  his  hand  to  La  Mole. 

De  Besme  traversed  a  gallery,  opened  a  door,  and  stood 
at  the  head  of  a  staircase. 

He  looked  cautiously  round,  and, 

"  M.  de  Coconnas,"  said  he  "  where  are  you  staying?" 

' 'At  the  Belle  Etoile,  Hue  de  1'Arbre-Sec." 

"  Ah,  that  is  close  by.  Keturn  to  your  hotel,  and  to- 
night-—" 

"  Well,  to-night?  " 

"  Come  here,  with  a  white  cross  in  your  hat.  The  pass- 
word is  '  Guise.'  Hush  !  not  a  word." 


50  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI& 

"  What  time  am  I  to  come?  " 

"  When  you  hear  the  tocsin." 

"  Good — I  shall  be  here,"  said  Coconnas. 

And,  saluting  De  Besme,  he  betook  himself  to  the 
hostelry  of  La  Belle  Etoile. 

At  this  instant  the  door  of  the  King  of  Navarre's  apart- 
ment opened,  and  a  page  appeared. 

"  You  are  the  Count  de  la  Mole?"  said  he. 

"That  is  my  name/' 

"Where  do  you  lodge?" 

"At  the  Belle  Etoile." 

"  That,  is  close  to  the  Louvre.  His  majesty  the  King 
of  Navarre  has  desired  me  to  inform  you  that  he  cannot 
at  present  receive  you  :  perhaps  he  may  send  for  you  to- 
night ;  but,  at  all  events,  come  to  the  Louvre  to-morrow." 

"But  the  sentinel  will  refuse  me  admission." 

"True  :  the  countersign  is  '  Navarre  ;'that  will  secure 
your  entrance." 

"Thanks." 

The  first  thing  La  Mole  saw  on  entering  the  inn  was 
Coconnas  seated  before  a  large  omelette. 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  cried  Coconnas,  laughing,  "  I  see  yon  have 
no  more  dined  with  the  King  of  Navarre  than  I  have 
supped  with  the  Duke  de  Guise." 

"  Ma  foil  no." 

"  Are  you  hungry  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  very." 

"Well,  then,  sit  down,  and  partake  of  my  omelette." 

"  I  see  that  fate  makes  us  inseparable.  Do  you  sleep 
here?" 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  More  do  I." 

"Well,  then,  I  know  where  I  shall  pass  the  night." 

"Where?" 

"Wherever  you  do  ;  that  is  inevitable." 

Thus  saying,  the  two  gentlemen  fell  to  work  on  the  ome- 
let of  Maitre  la  Huriere." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOISi  51 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     DEBT     PAID. 

Now,  if  the  reader  is  curious  to  know  why  M.  de  la 
Mole  had  not  been  received  by  the  King  of  Navarre,  why  M. 
de  Cocouuas  had  not  seen  M.  de  Guise,  and  why  both,  in- 
stead of  supping  at  the  Louvre,  on  pheasants,  partridges, 
and  kid,  supped  at  the  hotel  of  the  Belle  Etoile  on  an 
omelette,  he  must  kindly  accompany  us  to  the  old  palace 
of  kings,  and  follow  the  queen,  Marguerite  of  Navarre,  of 
whom  La  Mole  had  lost  sight  at  the  entrance  of  the  grand 
gallery. 

Whilst  Marguerite  was  descending  this  staircase,  the 
duke,  Henry  de  G-uise,  whom  she  had  not  seen  since  the 
night  of  her  marriage,  was  in  the  king's  closet.  To  this 
staircase,  which  Marguerite  was  descending,  there  was  an 
outlet.  To  the  closet  in  which  M.  de  Guise  was,  there 
was  a  door,  and  this  door  and  this  outlet  both  led  to  a 
corridor,  which  corridor  led  to  the  apartments  of  the 
queen-mother  Catherine  de  Medicis. 

Catherine  de  Medicis  was  alone,  seated  near  a  table, 
with  her  elbow  leaning  on  a  Prayer-book  half  open,  and 
her  head  leaning  on  a  hand  still  remarkably  beautiful — 
thanks  to  the  cosmetics  with  which  she  was  supplied  by 
the  Florentine,  Rene,  who  united  the  double  duty  of  per- 
fumer and  poisoner  to  the  queen-mother. 

The  widow  of  Henry  II.  was  clothed  in  mourning,  which 
she  had  not  thrown  off  since  her  husband's  death.  At 
this  period  she  was  about  fifty-two  or  fifty-three  years  of 
age,  and  preserved  a  figure  full  of  freshness  and  still  of 
considerable  beauty.  Her,  apartment  like  her  costume, 
was  all  mourning.  By  her  side  was  a  small  Italian  grey- 
hound, called  Phoebe,  a  present  from  her  son-in-law,  Henry 
of  Navarre. 

Suddenly,  and  at  a  moment  when   the  queen-mother 


52  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

appeared  plunged  in  some  thought  which  brought  a  smile 
to  her  lips,  colored  with  carmine,  a  man  opened  the 
door,  raised  the  tapestry,  and  showed  his  pale  visage,  say- 
ing, "  All  goes  badly." 

Catherine  raised  her  head,  and  recognized  the  Duke 
de  Guise. 

"  How  *  all  goes  badly  '  ?"  she  replied.  "  What  mean 
you,  Henry  ?" 

"  I  mean  that  the  king  is  more  then  ever  taken  with 
the  accursed  Huguenots  ;  and  if  we  await  his  leave  to  ex- 
ecute the  great  enterprise,  we  shall  wait  a  very  long  time, 
and  perhaps  forever/' 

"  What,  then,  has  happened  ?  "  inquired  Catherine,  still 
preserving  the  tranquillity  of  countenance  that  was  habitual 
to  her,  and  yet  to  which  when  occasion  served,  she  could 
give  so  different  an  expression. 

"  Why,  just  now,  for  the  twentieth  time,  I  opened  the 
conversation  with  his  majesty  as  to  whether  he  would  still 
permit  all  those  bravadoes  which  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Eeformed  religion  indulge  in,  since  the  wound  of  their 
admiral. " 

"And  what  did  my  son  reply  ?"  asked  Catherine. 

"  He  replied,  '  Monsieur  le  Due,  you  must  necessarily 
be  suspected  by  the  people  as  the  author  of  the  attempted 
assassination  of  my  second  father,  the  admiral ;  defend 
yourself  from  the  imputation  as  best  you  may.  As  to  me, 
I  will  defend  myself  properly,  if  I  am  insulted ;  and  then 
he  turned  away  to  feed  his  dogs." 

"  And  you  made  no  attempt  to  retain  him  ! " 

"  Yes  ;  but  he  replied  to  me,  in  that  tone  which  yon  so 
well  know,  and  looking  at  me  with  the  gaze  peculiar  to 
him,  *  M.  le  Due,  my  dogs  are  hungry  ;  and  they  are 
not  men,  whom  I  can  keep  waiting.'  Whereupon  I  came 
straight  to  you." 

"  And  you  have  done  right,"  said  the  queen-mother. 

"But  what  is  now  to  be  done  F" 

"  Try  a  last  effort." 

"And  who  will  try  it  ?" 

*'  I  !    Is  the  king  alone  ?  *' 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  53 

"  No ;  M.  de  Tavannes  is  with  him." 

"Await  me  here  ;  or,  rather,  follow  me  at  a  distance." 

Catherine  rose  and  went  to  the  chamber,  where,  on 
Turkey  carpets  and  velvet  cushions,  were  the  favorite 
greyhounds  of  the  king.  On  perches  ranged  along  the 
wall  were  two  or  three  favorite  falcons  and  a  small  pied 
hawk,  with  which  Charles  IX.  amused  himself  in  bringing 
down  the  small  birds  in  the  garden  of  the  old  Louvre, 
and  that  of  the  Tuileries,  which  they  had  just  commenced 
building. 

On  her  way  the  queen-mother  arranged  her  counte- 
nance into  a  pale  and  agonizing  look,  down  which  rolled  a 
last — or  rather  a  first  tear. 

She  approached  Charles  IX.  noiselessly,  as  he  was 
giving  his  dogs  fragments  of  cakes  cut  into  equal  por- 
tions. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  queen,  with  such  a  tremulous  voice, 
so  adroitly  managed,  that  the  king  started. 

"  What  would  you,  madame  ! "  said  Charles,  turning 
round  suddenly. 

"  I  would,  my  son,"  replied  Catherine,  "request  your 
leave  to  retire  to  one  of  your  chateaux,  no  matter  which, 
so  that  it  be  as  distant  as  possible  from  Paris." 

"And  wherefore,  madame?"  inquired  Charles  IX., 
fixing  on  his  mother  that  glassy  eye,  which,  on  certain 
occasions,  became  so  penetrating. 

"  Because  every  day  I  receive  new  insults  from  persons 
of  the  new  faith  ;  because  to-day  I  hear  that  you  have 
been  freshly  menaced  by  the  Protestants,  even  in  your 
own  Louvre,  and  I  do  not  desire  to  be  present  at  such 
spectacles." 

"But,  then,  madame,"  replied  Charles  IX.  with  an 
expression  full  of  conviction,  "they  have  attempted  to 
kill  their  admiral.  An  infamous  murderer  has  already 
assassinated  the  brave  M.  de  Mouy.  Mort  de  ma  vie ! 
mother,  there  must  be  justice  in  a  kingdom  1 " 

"  Oh,  be  easy  on  that  head,  my  son,"  said  Catherine  ; 
"  justice  will  not  be  wanting  to  them  ;  for  if  you  should 
refuse  it,  they  will  still  have  it  in  their  own  way  :  on 


54  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

M.  de  Guise  to-day,  on  me  to-morrow,  and  yourself  here- 
after." 

"  Oh,  madame  ! "  said  Charles,  allowing  a  first  accent 
of  doubt  to  break  through,  "  do  you  think  so  ?" 

"Oh,  my  son,"  replied  Catherine,  giving  way  entirely 
to  the  violence  of  her  thoughts,  "  do  yon  not  see  that  it  is 
no  longer  a  question  of  the  death  of  Frangois  de  Guise  or 
the  admiral,  of  Protestant  religion  or  Catholic,  but  simply 
of  the  substitution  of  the  son  of  Antoine  de  Bourbon  for 
the  son  of  Henry  the  Second  ?  " 

"  Come,  come,  mother,  you  are  falling  again  into  your 
usual  exaggeration,"  said  the  king. 

"  What  is,  then,  your  opinion,  my  son  ?" 

"  To  wait,  mother — to  wait.  All  human  wisdom  is  in 
this  single  word.  The  greatest,  the  strongest,  the  most 
skilful,  is  he  who  knows  how  to  wait." 

"  Do  you  wait,  then  :  I  will  not." 

And  on  this  Catherine  made  a  curtsey,  and,  advancing 
towards  the  door,  was  about  to  return  to  her  apartment. 

Charles  IX.  stopped  her. 

"  Well,  then,  really,  what  is  best  to  be  done,  mother  ?  " 
he  asked,  "  for  I  am  just,  before  everything,  and  I  would 
have  every  one  satisfied  with  me." 

Catherine  turned  towards  him. 

"  Come,  count,"  she  said  to  Tavannes,  who  was  caressing 
the  pied  hawk,  "and  tell  the  king  your  opinion  as  to 
what  should  be  done." 

"Will  your  majesty  permit  me  ?"  inquired  the  count. 

"  Speak,  Tavannes  ! — speak." 

"  What  does  your  majesty  do  when,  in  the  chase,  the 
wounded  boar  turns  on  you  ?" 

"  Mordieu,  sir,  I  await  him,  with  firm  foot  and  hand," 
replied  Charles,  "and  stab  him  in  the  throat  with  my 
good  sword." 

"  Simply,  that  he  may  not  hurt  you,"  remarked  Cath- 
erine. 

"  And  to  amuse  myself,"  said  the  king,  with  a  smile 
which  indicated  courage  pushed  even  to  ferocity  ;  "  but  I 
will  not  amuse  myself  with  killing  my  subjects  j  for,  after 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  55 

all,  the  Huguenots  are  my  subjects,  as  well  as  the  Cath- 
olics. " 

•"  Then,  sire,"  said  Catherine,  "  your  subjects,  the 
Huguenots,  will  do  like  the  wild  boar  who  escapes  the  sword 
thrast  at  his  throat :  they  will  bring  down  the  throne/' 

"  Bah  1  Do  you  really  think  so,  madame  ?  "  said  Charles 
IX.,  with  an  air  which  denoted  that  he  did  not  place 
great  faith  in  his  mother's  predictions. 

"But  have  you  not  seen  M.  de  Mouy  and  his  party  to-day  ?  " 

"Yes ;  I  have  seen  them,  and  indeed  just  left  them. 
But  what  does  he  ask  for  that  is  not  just  ?  He  has  re- 
quested the  death  of  the  murderer  of  his  father  and  the 
assassin  of  the  admiral.  Did  we  not  punish  M.  de  Mont- 
gomery for  the  death  of  my  father  and  your  husband, 
although  that  death  was  a  simple  accident  ?  " 

*"Tis  well,  sir,"  said  Catherine,  piqued  ;  "let  us  say  no 
more.  Your  majesty  is  under  the  protection  of  that 
God  who  gives  strength,  wisdom,  and  confidence.  But 
I,  a  poor  woman,  whom  God  abandons,  no  doubt,  on 
account  of  my  sins,  fear,  and  give  way."  And  Catherine 
again  curtseyed  and  left  the  room,  making  a  sign  to  the 
Duke  de  Guise,  who  had  at  that  moment  entered,  to 
remain  in  her  place,  and  try  a  last  effort. 

Charles  IX.  followed  his  mother  with  his  eye,  but  this 
time  did  not  recall  her.  He  then  began  to  caress  his  dogs, 
whistling  a  hunting  air. 

He  suddenly  paused. 

"  My  mother,"  said  he,  "  is  a  right  royal  spirit,  and 
doubts  of  nothing.  Really,  now,  it  is  a  cool  proposal,  to 
kill  off  some  dozens  of  Huguenots,  because  they  come  to 
demand  justice,  as  if  it  were  not  their  right  !" 

"  Some  dozens  !  "  murmured  the  Duke  de  Guise. 

"  Ah  !  are  you  there,  sir  ?  "  said  the  king,  appearing  to 
see  him  for  the  first  time.  "  Yes,  some  dozens.  A 
tolerable  waste  of  life  !  Ah  !  if  any  one  came  to  me  and 
said  :  *  Sire,  you  shall  be  rid  of  all  your  enemies  at  once, 
and  to-morrow  there  shall  not  remain  one  to  reproach  you 

with  the  death  of  the  others/  why,  then,  I  do  not  say " 

.  "Well,  sire!" 


56  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Tavannes,"  said  the  king,  "you  will  tire  Margot ;  put 
her  back  on  her  perch.  It  is  no  reason,  because  she  bears 
the  name  of  my  sister,  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  that  all  the 
world  should  caress  her." 

Tavannes  put  the  hawk  on  her  perch,  and  amused  him- 
self by  playing  with  a  greyhound's  ears. 

1 '  But,  sire,  if  any  one  should  say  to  your  majesty  : 
'  Sire,  your  majesty  shall  be  delivered  from  all  your  enemies 
to-morrow '  ?  " 

"  And  by  the  intercession  of  what  saint  would  this  great 
miracle  be  effected  ?  " 

"  Sire,  we  are  to-day  at  the  24th  of  August,  and  it  will 
therefore  be  by  the  interposition  of  Saint  Bartholomew." 

"A  worthy  saint/'  replied  the  king,  "who  allowed 
himself  to  be  skinned  alive  ! " 

"  So  much  the  better  ;  the  more  he  suffered,  the  more 
he  ought  to  have  felt"  a  desire  for  vengeance  on  his  execu- 
tioners." 

"And  is  it  you,  my  cousin,"  said  the  king,  "is  it  yon, 
with  your  pretty  little  gold-hilted  sword,  who  will  to- 
morrow slay  ten  thousand  Huguenots  ?  Ah,  ah  !  mort  de 
ma  vie  !  you  are  very  amusing,  M.  De  Guise  ?  "  And  the 
king  burst  into  loud  laughter,  but  a  laughter  so  forced 
that  the  room  echoed  with  its  sinister  sound. 

"  Sire,  one  word — and  one  only,"  continued  the  duke, 
shuddering  in  spite  of  himself  at  the  sound  of  this  laugh, 
which  had  nothing  human  in  it — "  one  sign,  and  all  is 
ready.  I  have  the  Swiss  and  eleven  hundred  gentlemen  ; 
I  have  the  light  horse  and  the  citizens  on  my  side  ;  your 
majesty  has  your  guards  ;  your  friends,  the  Catholic 
nobility.  We  are  twenty  to  one." 

"  Well,  then,  cousin  of  mine,  since  you  are  so  strong, 
why  the  devil  do  yon  come  to  fill  my  ears  with  all  this  ! 
Act  without  me — act " 

And  the  king  turned  again  to  his  dogs. 

Then  the  tapestry  suddenly  moved  aside,  and  Catherine 
reappeared. 

"  All  goes  well,"  she  said  to  the  duke  ]  "  urge  him, 
and  he  will  yield." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  57 

And  the  tapestry  fell  on  Catherine  without  the  king 
seeing,  or  at  least  appearing  to  see  her. 

"  But  yet,"  continued  De  Guise,  "  it  is  necessary  I 
should  know,  if,  in  acting  as  I  desire,  I  shall  act  agree- 
ably to  your  majesty's  views." 

"  Really,  cousin  Henry,  you  put  your  knife  to  my 
throat !  But  I  shall  resist.  Mordieu  1  am  I  not  the 
king?" 

"No,  not  yet,  sire  ;  but,  if  you  will,  you  shall  be  so  to- 
morrow." 

"  Ah — what ! "  continued  Charles,  "  you  would  kill  the 
King  of  Navarre,  the  Prince  de  Cond6,  in  my  Louvre — 
ah  1 "  Then  he  added,  in  a  voice  scarcely  audible — "  With- 
out the  walls,  I  do  not  say " 

"Sire,"  cried  the  duke,  "they  are  going  out  this 
evening,  to  join  in  a  revel  with  your  brother,  the  Duke 
d'Alengon." 

"Tavannes,"  said  the  king,  with  well-affected  impa- 
tience, "  do  not  you  see  that  you  annoy  Actason  ?  Here 
boy — here  1" 

And  Charles  IX.  quitted  the  apartment,  without  wait- 
ing to  hear  more,  and  leaving  Tavannes  and  the  Duke  de 
Guise  almost  as  uncertain  as  before. 

Another  scene  was  passing  in  Catherine's  apartments, 
who,  after  she  had  given  the  Duke  de  Guise  her  counsel 
to  remain  firm,  had  returned  to  her  rooms,  where  she  found 
assembled  the  persons  who  usually  assisted  at  her  going 
to  bed. 

Her  face  was  now  as  full  of  joy  as  it  had  been  downcast 
when  she  set  out.  One  by  one  she  dismissed  her  women, 
and  there  only  remained  Madame  Marguerite,  who,  seated 
on  a  coffer  near  the  open  window,  was  looking  at  the  sky, 
absorbed  in  thought. 

Two  or  three  times,  when  she  thus  found  herself  alone 
with  her  daughter,  the  queen-mother  opened  her  mouth 
to  speak,  but  each  time  a  gloomy  thought  withheld  the 
words  ready  to  escape  her  lips. 

Suddenly  the  tapestry  moved,  and  Henry  of  Navarre 
appeared. 


58  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  little  greyhound,  which  was  asleep  on  a  sofa,  leaped 
towards  him  at  a  bound. 

"  You  here,  my  son  ! "  said  Catherine,  starting.  '  *  Do 
you  sup  in  the  Louvre  to-night  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,"  replied  Henry,  "  we  are  going  into  the 
city  to-night,  with  Messieurs  d'Alen9on  and  De  Oonde. 
I  almost  expected  to  find  them  here." 

Catherine  smiled. 

"  Ah  !  you  men  are  so  happy  to  have  such  liberty  !  Are 
they  not,  dear  daughter  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  liberty  is  so  glorious,  so 
sweet  a  thing." 

"Would  you  imply  that  I  restricted  you,  madame?" 
inquired  Henry,  bowing  to  his  wife. 

"No,  sir  ;  it  is  not  for  myself  that  I  complain,  but  for 
women  in  general/' 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  asked  Catherine,  suddenly,  and  at 
the  same  moment  the  tapestry  was  raised,  and  Madame  de 
Sauve  showed  her  lovely  head. 

"  Madame,"  she  said,  "  it  is  Ren6,  the  perfumer,  whom 
your  majesty  sent  for." 

Catherine  cast  a  glance  as  quick  as  lightning  at  Henry 
of  Navarre.  The  young  prince  turned  slightly  red,  and 
then  fearfully  pale.  The  name  of  his  mother's  assassin 
had  been  mentioned  in  his  presence ;  he  felt  that  his  face 
betrayed  his  emotion,  and  he  leaned  against  the  bar  of 
the  window. 

The  little  greyhound  growled. 

At  the  same  moment,  two  persons  entered  ;  the  one  an- 
nounced, and  the  other  having  no  need  to  be  so. 

The  first  was  Ren6,  the  perfumer,  who  approached 
Catherine  with  all  the  servile  obsequiousness  of  Florentine 
servants.  He  held  in  his  hand  a  box,  which  he  opened, 
and  all  the  compartments  were  seen  filled  with  powders 
and  flasks. 

The  second  was  Madame  de  Lorraine,  the  eldest  sister 
of  Marguerite.  She  entered  by  a  small  private  door,  which 
led  from  the  King's  closet,  and.  all  pale  and  trembling, 
and  hoping  not  to  be  observed  by  Catherine,  who  was  ex- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  59 

amining,  with  Madame  de  Sauve,  the  contents  of  the  box 
brought  by  Ren6,  seated  herself  beside  Marguerite,  near 
whom  the  King  of  Navarre  was  standing,  with  his  hand 
on  his  brow,  like  one  who  tries  to  rouse  himself  from  some 
sudden  shock. 

At  this  instant  Catherine  turned  round. 

"  Daughter/'  she  said  to  Marguerite,  "  you  may  retire 
to  your  chamber.  My  son,  you  may  go  and  recreate 
yourself  in  the  city." 

Marguerite  rose,  and  Henry  turned  half  round. 

Madame  de  Lorraine  seized  Marguerite's  hand. 

"  Sister,"  she  whispered,  with  great  quickness,  "  in  the 
name  of  the  Duke  de  Guise, who  now  saves  you,  as  you  saved 
him,  do  not  go  hence — do  not  go  to  your  apartments." 

"Eh  !  what  say  you,  Claude?"  inquired  Catherine, 
turning  round. 

"Nothing,  mother." 

"  What  did  you  whisper  to  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Only  a  message  from  the  Duchess  de  Nevers." 

"  And  where  is  the  lovely  duchess  ?  *' 

"  With  her  brother-in-law,  M.  de  Guise." 

Catherine  looked  suspiciously  at  her  two  daughters, 
and  frowned. 

"  Come  here,  Claude,"  said  the  queen-mother. 

Claude  obeyed,  and  the  queen  seized  her  hand. 

"  What  have  you  said  to  her,  indiscreet  girl  that  you 
are  ? "  she  murmured,  squeezing  her  daughter's  wrist 
until  she  nearly  shrieked  with  pain. 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry  to  his  wife,  he  having  lost 
nothing  of  the  movements  of  the  queen,  Claude,  or  Mar- 
guerite— "  Madame,  will  you  allow  me  the  honor  of  kiss- 
ing your  hand  ?  " 

Marguerite  extended  her  trembling  hand. 

"  What  did  she  say  to  you  ?  "  murmured  Henry,  as  he 
stooped  to  imprint  a  kiss  on  her  hand. 

"  Not  to  go  out.  In  the  name  of  Heaven,  therefore,  do 
not  you  go  out  either  1 " 

This  was  but  a  slight  gleam  ;  but  by  its  light,  rapid  as 
it  was,  Henry  at  once  saw  through  the  whole  plot. 


60  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

"  This  is  not  all,"  added  Marguerite  ;  "  here  is  a  letter, 
which  a  country  gentleman  brought." 

"M.  do  la  Mole  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"Thanks,"  ho  said,  taking  the  letter,  and  putting  it 
under  his  doublet ;  and  passing  in  front  of  his  bewildered 
wife,  he  placed  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Florentine. 

"  Well,  Master  Ren6  ! "  he  said,  "  and  how  goes  on  busi- 
ness?" 

"  Pretty  well,  monseigneur — pretty  well,"  replied  the 
poisoner,  with  his  perfidious  smile. 

"I  should  think  so,"  said  Henry,  "with  men  who,  like 
you,  supply  all  the  crowned  heads  at  home  and  abroad." 

"  Except  the  King  of  Navarre,"  replied  the  Florentine, 
impudently. 

"  Ventre-saint-gris,  Master  Rene,"  replied  the  king, 
"  you  are  right  ;  and  yet  my  poor  mother,  who  also  bought 
of  you,  recommended  you  to  me  with  her  dying  breath. 
Come  to  me  to-morrow,  or  the  day  after  to-morrow,  and 
bring  your  best  perfumes." 

At  this  moment,  the  Duchess  of  Lorraine,  who  could 
no  longer  contain  herself,  burst  into  loud  sobs. 

Henry  did  not  even  turn  towards  her. 

"Sister,  dear,  what  is  the  matter  ?"  cried  Marguerite, 
going  towards  her. 

"Nothing,"  said  Catherine,  passing  between  the  two 
young  women — "  nothing  ;  she  has  those  nervous  attacks, 
for  which  Mazille  prescribed  aromatic  preparations ;  " 
and  again,  and  with  more  force  than  before,  she  pressed 
her  eldest  daughter's  arm ;  then,  turning  towards  the 
youngest  : 

"Why,  Margot,"  she  said,  "  did  you  hear  me  request 
you  to  retire  to  your  room  ?  if  that  is  not  sufficient,  I 
command  you." 

"  Excuse  me  madame,"  replied  Marguerite,  trembling 
and  pale  ;  "I  wish  your  majesty  good  night." 

"  I  hope  your  wishes  may  be  heard.  Good  night — good 
night!" 

Marguerite  withdrew,  staggering  with  affright,  and  in 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  61 

rain  seeking  a  glance  from  her  husband,  who  did  not  even 
turn  towards  her. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  during  which  Catherine 
remained  with  her  eyes  fastened  on  the  Duchess  of  Lor- 
raine, who,  on  her  side,  without  speaking,  looked  at  her 
mother  with  clasped  hands. 

Henry's  back  was  still  turned,  but  he  was  watching  the 
scene  in  a  glass,  whilst  seeming  to  curl  his  mustache 
with  a  pomade  which  Een6  had  given  to  him. 

"  And  you,  Henry,  do  you  mean  to  go  ?  "  asked  Cath- 
erine. 

"Yes,  that's  true,"  exclaimed  the  king.  "Ma foil  I 
forgot  that  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  and  the  Prince  de  Cond6 
were  awaiting  me  !  These  are  admirable  perfumes  ;  they 
quite  overpower  one,  and  destroy  one's  memory.  Good 
evening,  madame." 

"  Good  evening  !  To-morrow  you  will  perhaps  bring 
me  tidings  of  the  admiral." 

"  Without  fail.— Well,  Phceb6,  what  is  it  ?" 

"  Phceb6  1 "  said  the  queen-mother,  impatiently. 

"Caliber,  madame,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "for  she  will 
not  allow  me  to  go  out." 

The  queen-mother  rose,  took  the  little  greyhound  by 
the  collar,  and  held  her  whilst  Henry  left  the  apartment, 
with  his  features  as  calm  and  smiling  as  if  he  did  not  feel 
in  his  heart  that  his  life  was  in  imminent  peril. 

Behind  him  the  little  dog,  set  free  by  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  rushed  to  try  and  overtake  him,  but  the  door 
was  closed,  and  Phceb6  could  only  put  her  long  nose  under 
the  tapestry  and  give  a  long  and  mournful  howl. 

"  Now,  Charlotte,"  said  Catherine  to  Madame  de  Sauve, 
"  go  and  find  M.  de  Guise  and  Tavannes,  who  are  in  my 
oratory,  and  return  with  them,  and  remain  with  tke 
Duchess  of  Lorraine,  who  iiaa  the  vapors." 


08  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOia 


CHAPTER  VIL 

THE    NIGHT  OF  THE  34TH  OF   AUGUST,   1573. 


La  Mole  and  Coconnas  had  finished  their  meager 
supper,  Coconnas  stretched  his  legs,  leaned  one  elbow  on 
the  table,  and  drinking  a  last  glass  of  wine,  said  : 

"  Do  you  mean  to  go  to  bed  instantly,  Monsieur  de  la 
Mole?"* 

"Ma  foil  lam  very  much  inclined,  for  it  is  possible 
that  I  may  be  called  up  in  the  night." 

"  And  I,  too,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  but  it  appears  to  me 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  instead  of  going  to  bed 
and  making  those  wait  who  are  to  come  to  us,  we  should 
do  better  to  call  for  cards  and  play  a  game.  They  will 
then  find  us  quite  ready." 

"  I  would  willingly  accept  your  proposal,  sir,  bat  I 
have  very  little  money  for  play.  I  have  scarce  a  hundred 
gold  crowns  in  my  valise,  for  my  whole  treasure." 

"A  hundred  gold  crowns  !"  cried  Coconnas,  "and  you 
complain  ?  Mordi  !  I  have  but  six  !  " 

"Why,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  I  saw  you  draw  from  your 
pocket  a  purse  which  appeared  not  only  full,  but  I  should 
say,  brimful." 

"  Ah,"  said  Cocounas,  "that  is  to  defray  an  old  debt 
which  I  am  compelled  to  pay  to  an  old  friend  of  my 
father,  whom  I  suspect  to  be  like  yourself,  somewhat  of  a 
Huguenot.  Yes,  there  are  here  a  hundred  rose  nobles," 
he  added,  slapping  his  pocket,  "  but  these  hundred  rose 
nobles  belong  to  a  Master  Mercandon.  As  to  my  personal 
patrimony,  that,  as  I  tell  you,  is  limited  to  six  crowns." 

"  How,  then,  can  you  play  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  because  of  that  I  wish  to  play.  Besides, 
an  idea  occurs  to  me." 

"  What  is  it  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  63 

fi  We  both  came  to  Paris  on  the  same  errand." 

"  Yes/' 

"  We  have  each  sought  a  powerful  protector." 

"  Yes." 

"  You  rely  on  yours,  as  I  rely  on  mine." 

"  Yes." 

"Well,  then,  it  occurred  to  me  that  we  should  play  at 
first  for  our  money,  and  afterwards  for  the  first  favor 
which  came  to  us,  either  from  the  court  or  from  our  mis- 
tress." 

"  Eeally,  a  very  ingenious  idea,"  said  La  Mole,  with  a 
smile,  "  but  I  confess  I  am  not  such  a  gamester  as  to  risk 
my  whole  life  on  a  card  or  a  turn  of  the  dice  ;  for  the  first 
favor  which  may  come  either  to  you  or  to  me  will,  in  all 
probability,  involve  our  whole  life.  But,  if  you  will,  let 
us  play  until  your  six  crowns  be  lost  or  doubled,  and  if 
lost,  and  you  desire  to  continue  the  game,  you  are  a  gen- 
tleman, and  your  word  is  as  good  as  gold." 

"  Done,"  replied  Coconnas  ;  "a  gentleman's  word  is 
gold,  especially  when  he  has  credit  at  court.  Thus,  be- 
lieve me,  I  did  not  risk  too  much  when  I  proposed  to  play 
for  the  first  favor  we  might  receive  at  court." 

"  Doubtless,  and  you  might  lose  it,  but  I  could  not  gain 
it ;  for,  being  with  the  King  of  Navarre,  I  could  not 
receive  anything  from  the  Duke  de  Guise." 

"  Ah,  the  heretic  ! "  murmured  the  host,  whilst  rub- 
bing up  his  old  casque — "  what  I  I  smelt  you  out,  did  I ! " 
and  he  crossed  himself  devoutly. 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  Coconnas,  shuffling  the  cards 
which  the  waiter  brought  him,  "you  are  of  the " 

"What?" 

"New  religion." 

"I?" 

"  Yes,  you." 

"  Well,  say  that  I  am,"  said  La  Mole,  with  a  smile, 
"have  you  anything  against  us  ?" 

"No,  thank  God! — I  hate  Huguenotry  with  all  my 
heart,  but  I  do  not  hate  the  Huguenots,  for  they  are  in 
fashion  jusfc  now." 


44  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Yes/'  replied  La  Mole,  smiling  ;  "  to  wit,  the  shoot- 
ing at  the  admiral ;  but  let  us  play." 

"  Yes,  let  us  play,  and  fear  not,  for  should  I  lose  a  hun- 
dred crowns  of  gold  against  yours,  I  shall  have  wherewithal 
to  pay  you  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Then  your  fortune  will  come  whilst  you  sleep." 

"  No  ;  I  shall  go  and  find  it." 

"  Where  ?  I'll  go  with  you." 

"At  the  Louvre." 

"  Are  you  going  back  there  to-night  ?" 

"  Yes ;  I  have,  to-night,  a  private  audience  with  tho 
great  Duke  de  Guise." 

Since  Coconnas  had  mentioned  the  Louvre,  La  Hnriere 
had  left  off  cleaning  his  headpiece,  and  placed  himself  be- 
hind La  Mole's  chair,  so  that  Coconnas  alone  could  see 
him,  and  made  signs  to  him,  with  the  Piedmontese,  ab- 
sorbed in  his  game  and  the  conversation,  did  not  remark. 

"  Well,  it  is  very  strange,"  remarked  La  Mole  ;  "and 
you  were  right  to  say  that  we  were  born  under  the  same 
star.  I  have  also  an  appointment  at  the  Louvre  to-night, 
but  not  with  the  Duke  de  Guise  j  mine  is  with  the  King 
of  Navarre." 

"  Have  you  a  countersign  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  A  rallying  sign  ?  " 

«  No." 

"  Well,  I  have  one,  and  my  countersign  is " 

At  these  words  of  the  Piedmontese,  La  Huriere  made  so 
significant  a  gesture,  that  Coconnas,  who  had  just  raised 
his  head,  was  greatly  astonished,  even  more  than  by  the 
game,  at  which  he  had  lost  three  crowns. 

*'  What's  the  matter  ?"  asked  La  Mole,  but  seeing  noth- 
ing, he  shuffled  the  cards  again  ;  whilst  La  Huridre  re- 
tired, placing  his  finger  on  his  lips  to  recommend  discre- 
tion, and  leaving  Coconnas  so  amazed,  that  he  again  lost 
almost  as  rapidly  the  second  time  as  the  first. 

"  Well,"  observed  La  Mole,  "  this  makes  exactly  your  six 
crowns.  Will  you  have  your  revenge  on  your  future  for- 
tune ?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  65 

'•  Willingly,"  replied  (Joconnas. 

"  But  before  you  begin,  did  you  not  say  you  had  an  ap- 
pointment with  the  Duke  de  Guise  ?  " 

"  Coconnas  turned  his  looks  towards  the  kitchen,  and 
saw  the  great  eyes  of  La  Huriere. 

"  Yes/'  he  replied,  "  but  it  is  not  yet  the  hour.  But 
now  let  us  talk  a  little  about  yourself,  M.  de  la  Mole." 

"We  shall  do  better,  I  think,  by  talking  of  the  game, 
my  dear  M.  de  Ooconnas ;  for  unless  I  am  very  much 
mistaken,  you  are  in  a  fair  way  of  losing  six  more 
crowns." 

"  Mordi!  and  that  is  true!  I  always  heard  that  the 
Huguenots  had  good  luck  at  cards.  Devil  take  me,  if  I 
haven't  a  good  mind  to  turn  Huguenot !" 

"Do,  count,  do,"  said  La  Mole;  "and  you  shall  be  well 
received  amongst  us." 

Coconnas  scratched  his  ear. 

"If  I  were  sure  that  your  good  luck  came  from  that," 
he  said,  "  I  would  ;  for  I  really  do  not  hold  so  entirely 
with  mass,  and  as  the  king  does  not  think  so  much  of  it 
either " 

"  Then  it  is  such  a  simple  religion,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "so 
pure " 

"  And,  moreover,  it  is  in  fashion,"  said  Coconnas  ;  ' '  and 
it  brings  good  luck  at  cards  ;  for,  devil  take  me,  if  you  do 
not  hold  all  the  aces,  and  yet  I  have  watched  you  closely, 
and  you  play  very  fairly  ;  it  must  be  the  religion " 

"You  owe  me  six  crowns  more,"  said  La  Mole,  quietly. 

"  Ah,  how  you  tempt  me  ! "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Hush  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  you  will  get  into  a  quarrel 
with  our  host." 

"  Ah,  that  is  true,"  said  Coconnas,  turning  his  eyes  to- 
wards the  kitchen  ;  "  but — no,  he  is  not  listening ;  he  is 
too  much  occupied  at  this  moment." 

"  What  is  he  doing  ?  "  inquired  La  Mole,  who  could  see 
nothing  from  his  place. 

"  He  is  talking  with — devil  take  me  !  it  is  he  ! " 

"Who?" 

"  Why.  that  night-bird  with  whom  he  was  discoursing 
S 


66  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

when  we  arrived.  The  man  in  the  yellow  doublet  and 
sad-colored  cloak,,  Mordi!  how  earnestly  he  talks. " 

At  this  moment,  La  Huridre  came  hastily  to  Coconnas, 
and  whispered  in  his  ear :  "  Silence,  for  your  life  1  and 
get  rid  of  your  companion." 

Coconnas,  turning  to  La  Mole,  said  :  "  My  dear  sir,  I 
must  beg  you  to  excuse  me.  1  have  lost  fifty  crowns  in 
no  time.  I  am  in  bad  luck  to-night." 

' '  Well,  sir,  as  you  please/'  replied  La  Mole  ;  "  besides,  1 
shall  not  be  sorry  to  lie  down  for  a  time.  Master  la 
Huriere  ! " 

"Sir." 

"  If  any  one  comes  for  me  from  the  King  of  Navarre, 
wake  me  immediately  ;  I  shall  be  dressed,  and  consequently 
ready." 

"  So  shall  I,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  and  that  I  may  not 
keep  his  highness  waiting,  I  will  prepare  the  sign.  Mas- 
ter la  Huriere,  some  white  paper  and  scissors  I  " 

"  Good  night,  M.  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  and 
you,  landlord,  be  so  good  as  to  light  me  to  my  room. 
Good  luck,  my  friend  ! "  and  La  Mole  disappeared  up  the 
staircase,  followed  by  La  Huriere. 

Then  the  mysterious  personage,  taking  Coconnas  by  the 
arm,  said  to  him,  with  much  quickness  : 

"  Sir,  you  have  very  nearly  betrayed  a  secret  on  which 
depends  the  fate  of  a  kingdom.  One  word  more,  and  I 
should  have  brought  you  down  with  my  arquebuss.  Now 
we  are  alone." 

"  But  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  talk  of  Maurevel  ?  " 

"The  assassin  of  the  admiral?" 

"  And  of  Captain  de  Mouy." 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  I  am  De  Maurevel." 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Hush  ! "  said  Maurevel,  putting  his  finger  on  hi* 
mouth. 

Coconnas  listened. 

At  this  moment  he  heard  the  landlord  close  the  door  of 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  6Y 

a  chamber,  then  the  door  of  a  corridor,  and  bolt  it ;  and 
then  return  precipitately  to  Coconnas  and  Maurevel,  offer- 
ing each  a  seat,  and  taking  a  third  for  himself. 

"  All  is  close  now,"  he  said,  "  and  you  may  speak  out, 
M.  Maurevel." 

Eleven  o'clock  struck  by  Saint  Germain  FAuxerrois  ; 
Maurevel  counted  each  stroke  of  the  clock,  which  sounded 
full  and  dull  in  the  night,  and,  when  the  last  sound  had 
died  away  : 

"Sir,"  he  said,  turning  to  Coconnas,  who  was  amazed 
at  all  the  precautions  taken,  "  are  you  a  good  Catholic  ?" 

"  I  believe  so,"  replied  Coconnas. 

"  Sir,  are  you  devoted  to  the  king  ?  " 

"  Body  and  soul !  you  offend  me,  sir,  by  asking  such  a 
question." 

"  Will  you  follow  us  ?  " 

"Whither?" 

"That  is  of  no  consequence — let  me  guide  you  ;  your 
fortune,  and  perhaps  your  life,  are  concerned  in  the 
result." 

"  I  tell  you,  sir,  that  at  midnight  I  have  an  appoint- 
ment at  the  Louvre. " 

"  That  is  where  we  are  going." 

"  M.  de  Guise  awaits  me  there." 

"  And  us  also  ! " 

"  But  I  have  a  written  pass-word." 

"  And  so  have  we  !  " 

"  I  have  a  sign  of  recognition." 

Maurevel  drew  from  beneath  his  doublet  a  handful  of 
crosses  in  white  stuff,  gave  one  to  La  Huriere,  one  to 
Coconnas,  and  took  another  for  himself.  La  Huri&re 
fastened  his  to  his  helmet.  Maurevel  attached  his  to  the 
side  of  his  hat. 

"  Ah,  then,"  said  Coconnas,  amazed,  "  the  appointment, 
the  countersign,  and  the  rallying  mark  were  for  every- 
body ?" 

"  Yes,  sir — that  is  to  say,  for  all  good  Catholics." 

"Then  there  is  a  fe'te  at  the  Louvre — some  royal  ban- 
quet, is  there  not  ?"  said  Coconnas;  "and  they  wish  to 

DUMAS — YOL.  III.— 4 


68  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

exclude  those  hounds  of  Huguenots, — good, — capital— ex- 
cellent !  They  have  had  the  best  of  it  too  long." 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  fete  at  the  Louvre — a  royal  banquet ; 
and  the  Huguenots  are  invited — and  more,  they  will  be 
the  heroes  of  the  f6te,  and  will  pay  for  the  festival,  and  if 
you  will  be  one  of  us,  we  will  begin  by  going  to  invite 
their  principal  champion — their  Gideon,  as  they  call  him." 

"  The  admiral !  "  cried  Cocounas. 

"  Yes,  old  Gaspard,  whom  I  missed,  like  a  fool,  although 
I  aimed  at  him  with  the  king's  arquebuss." 

"  And  this,  my  gentleman,  is  why  I  was  furbishing  my 
helmet,  sharpening  my  sword,  and  putting  an  edge  on 
my  knives,"  said  La  Huridre,  with  a  loud  and  bear-like 
voice. 

At  these  words,  Ooconnas  shuddered  and  turned  very 
pale,  for  he  began  to  comprehend. 

"  Then  really,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  f6te — this  banquet 
is  a " 

"  You  are  a  long  time  guessing,  sir,"  said  Maurevel,  "  and 
it  is  easy  to  see  that  you  are  not  so  weary  of  these  insolent 
heretics  as  we  are." 

"  And  you  take  on  yourself,"  he  said,  "to  go  to  the 
admiral  and  to " 

Maurevel  smiled,  and  drawing  Coconuas  to  the  window, 
he  said  : 

"  Look  there  ! — do  you  see,  in  the  small  square  at  the 
end  of  the  street,  behind  the  church,  a  troop  drawn  up 
quietly  in  the  shadow  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  The  men  who  form  that  troop  have,  like  Master  la 
Huridre,  and  myself,  and  yourself,  a  cross  in  their  hats." 

"  Well  ! " 

"  Well,  these  men  are  a  company  of  Swiss,  from  the 
smaller  cantons,  commanded  by  Toquenot — you  know 
they  are  friends  of  the  king." 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  Coconnas. 

"  Now,  look  at  that  troop  of  horse  passing  along  the 
Quay — do  you  recognize  their  leader  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  recognize  him,"  asked  Coconnas,  with  a 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  69 

shudder,  "  when  it  was  only  this  evening  that  I  arrived  in 
Paris  ?  " 

"  Well,  then,  it  is  he  with  whom  you  have  a  rendez- 
vous at  the  Louvre  at  midnight.  See,  he  is  going  to  wait 
for  you  ! " 

"  The  Duke  de  Guise?" 

"  Himself  !  His  escorts  are,  Marcel,  the  ex-provost  of 
the  tradesmen,  and  Jean  Chorou,  the  present  provost. 
These  two  are  going  to  summon  their  companies,  and  here 
comes  the  captain  of  the  quarter.  See  what  he  will  do  ?  " 

"  He  knocks  at  each  door  ;  but  what  is  there  on  the 
doors  at  which  he  knocks  ?  " 

"  A  white  cross,  young  man,  such  as  that  which  we 
have  in  our  hats." 

"  But  at  each  house  at  which  he  knocks  they  open,  and 
from  each  house  there  come  out  armed  citizens. " 

"  He  will  knock  here  in  turn,  and  we  shall  in  turn  go 
out." 

"  But,"  said  Coconnas,  "  if  all  the  world  is  on  foot  to 
go  and  kill  one  old  Huguenot — Mordi  !  it  is  shameful  ? 
It  is  an  affair  of  cut-throats,  and  not  of  soldiers." 

"  Young  man,"  replied  Maurevel,  "  if  the  old  are 
objectionable  to  you,  you  may  choose  young  ones — you 
will  find  plenty  for  all  tastes.  If  you  despise  daggers,  use 
your  sword,  for  the  Huguenots  are  not  the  men  to  allow 
their  throats  to  be  cut  without  defending  themselves,  and 
you  know  that  Huguenots,  young  or  old,  are  hard-lived." 

"But  are  they -going  to  kill  them  all,  then  ?"  cried 
Coconnas. 

"All!" 

"  By  order  of  the  king  ?  " 

"  By  order  of  the  king  and  M.  de  Guise." 

"  And  when  ?  " 

"  When  you  hear  the  clock  of  Saint  Germain  I'Auxer- 
rois  strike." 

"  Oh,  it  was  for  that,  then,  that  the  amiable  German 
told  me  to  hasten  at  the  first  sound  of  the  tocsin. " 

"  You  have,  then,  seen  M.  de  Besme  ?" 

"  I  have  seen  and  spoken  to  him." 


70  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOia 

"  Where  ?" 

"  At  the  Louvre." 

"  Look  there  1  * 

"  Mordi  /—'tis  he  himself. " 

"  Would  you  speak  with  him  ?  " 

"  Why,  really,  I  should  like  to  do  so." 

Mau  revel  opened  the  window  instantly  ;  Besme  was 
passing  at  the  moment  with  twenty  soldiers. 

"  Guise  and  Lorraine  I "  said  Maurevel. 

Besme  turned  round,  and  perceiving  that  it  was  himself 
who  was  accosted,  he  came  under  the  window. 

"  Oh,  is  it  yon,  Sir6  de  Maurevel  ?** 

"  Yes,  'tis  I,  what  seek  yon  ?  " 

"  I  am  seeking  the  hostelry  of  the  Belle  Etoile,  to  find 
a  Monsieur  Coconnas." 

"  I  am  here,  M.  de  Besme/'  said  the  young  man. 

"  Good,  good  ;  are  you  ready  ?  " 

«  Yes— to  do  what?  " 

"  Whatever  M.  de  Maurevel  may  tell  you,  for  he  is  a 
good  Catholic." 

"  Do  you  hear  ?  "  inquired  Maurevel. 

"Yes/*  replied  Coconnas,  "but  M.  de  Besme !— where 
are  you  going  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  say«a  word  to  the  admiral." 

"  Say  two,  if  necessary,"  said  Maurevel,  "  and  this  time, 
if  he  gets  up  again  at  the  first,  do  not  let  him  rise  at 
the  second." 

"  Make  yourself  easy,  M.  de  Maurevel,  aud  put  the 
young  gentleman  in  the  right  path." 

"  Ah,  have  no  fear  for  me  ;  the  Coconnas  have  keen 
scent,  and  good  bred  dogs  hunt  from  instinct." 

"Adieu  1  begin  the  chase,  for  we  are  in  the  slot  of  the 
deer." 

De  Besme  went  on,  and  Maurevel  closed  the  window. 

"  You  hear,  young  man,"  said  Maurevel,  "  if  you  have 
any  private  enemy,  although  he  is  not  altogether  a  Hu- 
guenot, you  can  put  him  on  your  list,  and  he  will  pass  with 
the  others." 

Coconnas,  more  bewildered  than  ever  with  what  he  saw 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  fl 

and  heard,  looked  about  him,  at  the  host  and  Maurevel, 
who  quietly  drew  a  paper  from  his.  pocket.  "  Here's  my 
list,"  said  he  ;  "  three  hundred.  Let  each  good  Catholic 
do  this  night  one-tenth  part  of  the  business  I  shall  do,  and 
to-morrow  there  will  not  remain  one  single  heretic  in  the 
kingdom." 

"  Hush  !  "  said  La  Huriere. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  inquired  Coconnas  and  Maurevel  to- 
gether. 

They  heard  the  first  stroke  of  the  bell  of  Saint  Germain 
1'Auxerrois  vibrate. 

"  The  signal  ! "  exclaimed  Maurevel.  "  The  time  is  put 
on — for  it  was  agreed  for  midnight.  So  much  the  better. 
When  it  is  the  interest  of  God  and  the  king,  it  is  better 
that  the  clock  should  be  put  forward  than  backward." 
And  the  sinister  sound  of  the  church  bell  was  distinctly 
heard.  Then  a  shot  was  fired,  and  in  an  instant,  the  light 
of  several  flambeaux  blazed  up  like  flashes  of  lightning  in 
the  Eue  de  PArbre-Sec. 

Coconnas  passed  his  hand  over  his  brow,  which  was 
damp  with  perspiration. 

"It  has  begun!"  cried  Maurevel.  "Now  to  work — 
away  ! " 

"One  moment,  one  moment  !"  said  the  host.  "  Be- 
fore we  begin,  let  us  make  safe  the  house.  I  do  not  wish 
to  have  my  wife  and  children  killed  in  my  absence.  There 
is  a  Huguenot  here." 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  ! "  said  Coconnas,  starting. 

"  Yes,  the  fowl  has  thrown  himself  into  the  wolf's 
throat." 

"What!"  said  Coconnas;  "would  you  attack  your 
guest  ?  " 

"  It  was  for  him  I  gave  an  extra  edge  to  my  rapier." 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  said  the  Piedmontese,  frowning. 

"  I  never  yet  killed  anything  but  rabbits,  ducks,  and 
chickens,"  replied  the  worthy  host,  "  and  I  do  not  know 
very  well  how  to  kill  a  man  ;  but  I  can  make  my  first  trial 
on  him,  and  if  I  am  clumsy,  no  one  will  be  there  to  laugh 
at  me." 


72  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Mordi.  "  it  is  hard,"  said  Coconnas.  "  M.  de  la  Mole 
is  my  companion  ;  M.  de  la  Mole  has  supped  with  me ; 
M.  de  la  Mole  has  played  with  me." 

"  Yes  ;  but  M.  de  la  Mole  is  a  heretic,"  said  Maurevel. 
"  M.  de  la  Mole  is  doomed ;  and  if  we  do  not  kill  him, 
others  will." 

"Not  to  say,"  added  the  host,  "  that  he  has  gained  fifty 
crowns  from  you." 

"  True,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  but,  fairly,  I  am  sure." 

Fairly,  or  not,  you  must  pay  them,  whilst,  if  I  kill  him, 
you  are  quits." 

"  Come  come  !  "  cried  Maurevel ;  "  make  haste,  or  we 
shall  not  be  in  time  with  the  aid  we  have  promised  M.  de 
Guise,  at  the  admiral's." 

"  Coconnas  sighed. 

"Fll  make  haste!"  cried  La  Huriere,  "wait  for 
me." 

"  Mordi  f"  cried  Coconnas,  "he  will  put  the  poor  gen- 
tleman to  great  pain,  and,  perhaps,  rob  him.  I  must  be 
present  to  finish  him,  if  requisite,  and  to  prevent  him  from 
touching  his  money." 

And  impelled  by  this  happy  thought,  Coconnas  followed 
La  Huriere  up-stairs,  and  soon  overtook  him,  for  the  latter 
slackened  his  pace  when  he  approached  the  intended 
victim. 

As  he  reached  the  door,  Coconnas  still  following,  several 
discharges  of  musquetry  in  the  streets  were  heard. 

"Diable/"  muttered  La  Huriere,  somewhat  discon- 
certed ;  "  that  has  awakened  him,  I  think." 

"I  should  say  so,"  observed  Coconnas,  "and  he  will 
defend  himself  ;  I  do  not  know  a  likelier  man.  Suppose, 
now,  Master  la  Huridre,  he  were  to  kill  you,  that  would 
be  droll,  eh  ?  " 

"Hum,  hum  !  "  responded  the  host,  but  knowing  him- 
self to  be  armed  with  a  good  arquebuss,  he  dashed  the  door 
in  with  a  kick  of  his  foot. 

La  Mole,  without  his  hat,  but  dressed,  was  entrenched 
behind  his  bed,  his  sword  between  his  teeth,  and  his  pis- 
tols in  his  hands. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  73 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  Coconnas,  his  nostrils  expanding  like 
a  wild  beast  who  smelt  blood — "this  grows  interesting, 
Master  la  Hurieire. — Forward  !  " 

"  Ah,  you  would  assassinate  me,  it  seems  ! "  cried  La 
Mole,  whose  eyes  glared  ;  ' '  and  it  is  you,  wretch  ! " 

Master  la  Huriere's  reply  to  this  was  to  take  aim  at  the 
young  man  with  his  arquebuss  ;  but  La  Mole  was  on  his 
guard,  and  as  he  fired,  went  on  his  knees,  and  the  ball 
passed  over  his  head. 

"Help  I"  cried  La  Mole  ;  "help,  M.  de  Coconnas  I" 

"  Help,  M.  de  Maurevel  ! — help  ! "  cried  La  Huri£re. 

"Ma  foil  M.  de  la  Mole,"  replied  Coconnas,  "all  I 
can  do  in  this  affair  is  not  to  join  the  attack  against  you. 
It  seems,  all  the  Huguenots  are  to  be  put  to  death  to- 
night, in  the  king's  name.  Get  out  of  it  as  well  as  you 
can." 

"Ah,  traitors  !  assassins  ! — is  it  so  ?  Well,  then,  take 
this  ! "  And  La  Mole,  aiming  in  his  turn,  fired  one  of 
his  pistols.  La  Huriere,  who  had  kept  his  eye  on  him, 
moved  suddenly  on  one  side  ;  but  Coconnas,  not  anticipat- 
ing such  a  reply,  had  not  stirred,  and  the  ball  grazed  his 
shoulder. 

"  Mordi  /"  he  exclaimed,  grinding  his  teeth — "  I  have 
it.  Well,  then,  let  it  be  us  two,  since  you  will  have  it  so  ! " 
— and  drawing  his  rapier,  he  rushed  on  La  Mole. 

Had  he  been  alone,  La  Mole  would,  doubtless,  have 
awaited  his  attack  ;  but  Coconnas  had  La  Huriere  to  aid 
him,  who  was  reloading  his  gun,  and  Maurevel,  who  was 
coming  rapidly  up  the  stairs.  La  Mole,  therefore,  dashed 
into  a  small  closet,  which  he  bolted  inside. 

"  Ah,  coward  ! n  cried  Coconnas,  furious,  and  striking 
at  the  door  with  the  pommel  of  his  sword — "  wait  !  wait ! 
and  I  will  make  as  many  holes  in  your  body  as  you  have 
gained  crowns  of  me  to-night.  Wait  for  me,  poltroon — 
wait  for  me  !  " 

La  Huriere  fired  his  arquebuss  at  the  lock,  and  the  door 
flew  open. 

Coconnas  rushed  into  the  closet,  but  it  was  empty,  and 
the  window  open. 


74  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"He  has  thrown  himself  out,"  said  the  host,  "and  as 
we  are  on  the  fourth  story,  he  must  be  killed." 

"  Or,  he  has  escaped  by  the  roof  of  the  next  house/' 
said  Coconnas,  putting  his  leg  over  the  bar  of  the  window, 
and  preparing  to  follow  him  over  this  narrow  and  slip- 
pery route  ;  but  Maurevel  and  La  Huriere  drew  him  back 
into  the  apartment. 

"  Are  you  mad  ?"  they  both  exclaimed  at  once  ;  *'  you 
will  kill  yourself  !  " 

"Bah ! "  said  Coconnas,  "I  am  a  mountaineer,  and 
nsed  to  traverse  the  glaciers  ;  besides,  when  a  man  has 
once  offended  me,  I  will  go  up  to  heaven  or  descend  to 
hell  with  him,  by  whatever  route  he  pleases.  Let  me  do 
as  I  wish.'* 

"  Well,"  said  Maurevel,  "  he  is  either  dead  or  a  long 
way  off  by  this  time.  Come  with  us ;  and  if  he  escape 
you,  there  will  be  a  thousand  others  in  his  place." 

"  You  are  right/'  cried  Coconnas.  "  Death  to  the 
Huguenots  !  I  want  revenge,  and  the  sooner  the  better." 

And  the  three  descended  the  staircase,  like  an  avalanche. 

"  To  the  admiral's  !  "  shouted  Maurevel. 

"  To  the  admiral's  !"  shouted  La  Hnriere. 

"To  the  admiral's,  then,  if  it  must  be  so!"  shouted 
Coconnas. 

And  all  three,  leaving  the  Belle  Etoile  in  charge  of  Gre- 
goire  and  the  other  waiters,  hastened  towards  the  Eue  de 
B6thisy,  a  bright  light,  and  the  report  of  fire-arms,  guid- 
ing them  in  that  direction. 

"  Who  comes  here  ?  "  cried  Coconnas.  "  A  man  with- 
out his  doublet  or  scarf  !  " 

"  It  io  some  one  escaping,"  said  Maurevel. 

"Five  !  fire  !"  said  Coconnas;  "you  who  have  arque- 
busses." 

"  Mafoi  I  not  I,"  replied  Maurevel.  "  I  keep  my  pow- 
der for  better  game." 

"  You,  then,  La  Huriere  !  " 

"  Wait,  wait  ! "  said  the  innkeeper,  taking  aim. 

"  Oh,  yes,  wait,  and  he  will  escape,"  replied  Coconnas. 

And  he  rushed  after  the  unhappy  wretch,  whom  he  soon 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  75 

overtook,  as  he  was  wounded  ;  but  at  the  moment  when, 
in  order  that  he  might  not  strike  him  behind,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Turn,  turn  ! "  the  report  of  an  arquebuss  was 
heard,  a  ball  whistled  by  Coconnas'  ears,  and  the  fugitive 
rolled  over,  like  a  hare  struck  by  the  shot  of  the  sports- 
man. 

A  cry  of  triumph  was  heard  behind  Coconnas.  The 
Piedmontese  turned  round,  and  saw  La  Huriere  brandish- 
ing his  weapon. 

1 '  Ah,  now,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  have  made  my  maiden 
shot  !" 

"  And  only  just  missed  making  a  hole  in  me,  from  one 
side  to  the  other. " 

"  Be  on  your  guard  ! — be  on  your  guard  ! " 

Coconuas  sprung  back.  The  wounded  man  had  risen 
on  his  knee,  and,  full  of  revenge,  was  about  to  stab  him 
with  his  poniard,  when  the  host's  warning  put  the  Pied- 
montese on  his  guard. 

"  Ah,  viper  !  "  shouted  Coconnas  ;  and  rushing  at  the 
wounded  man,  he  thrust  his  sword  through  him  three 
times  up  to  the  hilt. 

"  And  now,"  cried  he,  leaving  the  Huguenot  in  the 
agonies  of  death — "  to  the  admiral's*! — to  the  admiral's  !  " 

"  Ah,  ah  !  my  gentlemen,"  said  Maurevel,  "  it  seems  to 
work." 

"Ma  foil"  yes,"  replied  Coconnas.  "  I  do  not  know 
if  it  is  the  smell  of  gunpowder  that  makes  me  drunk,  or 
the  sight  of  blood  which  excites  me,  but  mordi!  I  am  all 
anxious  for  slaughter.  It  is  like  a  battue  of  men.  I  have 
as  yet  only  had  battues  of  bears  and  wolves,  and,  on  my 
honor,  a  battue  of  men  seems  more  amusing."  And  the 
three  went  on  their  way. 


76  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   VICTIMS. 

THE  hotel  of  the  admiral  was,  as  we  have  said,  situated 
in  the  Rue  de  Bethisy.  It  was  a  large  house,  opening  on 
a  court  in  front,  flanked  by  two  wings.  One  principal  and 
two  small  gates  afforded  entrance  into  this  courtyard. 

When  our  three  cut-throats  entered  the  Rue  Bethisy, 
which  forms  part  of  the  Rue  des  Fosses-St.-Germain- 
1'Auxerrois,  they  saw  the  hotel  surrounded  with  Swiss  sol- 
diers and  citizens,  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  some  holding 
drawn  swords,  others  arquebusses  loaded  and  the  matches 
burning,  and  some,  in  their  left  hand,  torches  that  threw  a 
fitful  and  lurid  glare  on  this  sea  of  human  heads  and  naked 
weapons.  The  work  of  destruction  was  proceeding  in  the 
Rues  Tirechappe,  Etienne,  and  Bertin-Poiree.  Agonized 
cries  and  the  reports  of  muskets  were  heard  incessantly  ; 
and,  occasionally,  some  wretched  fugitive  rushed  wildly 
through  what,  seen  by  the  uncertain  light,  seemed  a  troop 
of  demons. 

In  an  instant,  Coconnas,  Maurevel,  and  La  Huriere, 
accredited  by  their  white  crosses,  and  received  with  cries 
of  welcome,  were  in  the  midst  of  the  tumult,  though  they 
could  not  have  entered  the  throng,  had  not  Maurevel  been 
recognized.  Coconnas  and  La  Huriere  followed  him,  and 
all  three  contrived  to  enter  the  court. 

In  the  center  of  this  court,  the  three  doors  of  which  were 
burst  open,  a  man,  around  whom  a  body  of  Catholics  formed 
a  respectful  circle,  stood  leaning  on  his  drawn  rapier,  and 
eagerly  looking  up  at  a  balcony  about  fifteen  feet  above 
him,  which  extended  in  front  of  the  principal  window  of 
the  hotel. 

This  man  stamped  impatiently  on  the  ground,  and,  from 
time  to  time,  questioned  those  around  him. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8.  77 

"  Nothing  yet ! "  murmured  he.  "  No  one  !  He  has 
been  warned,  and  has  escaped.  What  do  you  think,  Dn 
Gast  ?  " 

"  Impossible,  monseigneur." 

"  Why  ?  Did  you  not  tell  me,  that  just  before  we  ar- 
rived, a  man,  bareheaded,  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand, 
came  running,  as  if  pursued,  knocked  at  the  door,  and  was 
admitted?" 

"  Yes,  monseigneur  :  but  M.  de  Besme  came  up  immedi- 
ately, broke  open  the  doors,  and  surrounded  the  hotel.  The 
man  went  in,  sure  enough,  but  he  has  not  gone  out." 

"  Why,"  said  Coconnas  to  La  Huriere,  "  if  my  eyes  do 
not  deceive  me,  it  is  M.  de  Guise  I  see." 

"  Himself,  monsieur.  Yes  ;  the  great  Henry  de  Guise 
is  come  in  person  to  watch  for  the  admiral  and  serve  him 
as  he  served  the  duke's  father.  Every  one  has  his  day, 
and  it  is  our  turn  now." 

"  Hola,  Besme!"  cried  the  duke,  with  his  powerful 
voice,  "  have  you  not  finished  yet  ?" 

And  he  struck  his  sword  so  forcibly  against  the  stones 
that  sparks  flew  out. 

At  this  instant  cries  were  heard  in  the  hotel — then  sev- 
eral shots — then  a  clashing  of  swords,  and  then  all  was  again 
silent. 

The  duke  was  about  to  rush  into  the  house. 

"  Monseigneur,  monseigneur  ! "  said  Du  Gast,  detain- 
ing him,  "your  dignity  commands  you  to  wait  here." 

"  You  are  right,  Du  Gast.  I  must  stay  here  ;  but  I  am 
dying  with  anxiety.  If  he  were  to  escape  !  " 

Suddenly  the  windows  of  the  first  floor  were  lighted  up 
with  what  seemed  the  reflection  of  torches. 

The  window,  on  which  the  duke's  eyes  were  fixed, 
opened,  or,  rather,  was  shattered  to  pieces,  and  a  man, 
his  face  and  collar  stained  with  blood,  appeared  on  the 
balcony. 

"  Ah  !  at  last,  Besme  ! "  cried  the  duke  ;  "  what  news  ?  " 

"  Here  !  here  !  "  replied  the  German,  with  the  greatest 
sang  fr old,  lifting  as  he  spoke,  a  heavy  body. 

"  But  where  are  the  others  ?  "  demanded  the  duke. 


78  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"The  others  are  finishing  the  rest." 

"  And  what  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  You  shall  see.     Stand  back  a  little  ! " 

The  duke  retreated  a  few  paces. 

The  object  that  Besme  was  trying  to  lift  was  now 
visible  ;  it  was  the  body  of  an  old  man.  He  raised  it  above 
the  balcony,  and  threw  it,  by  a  powerful  effort,  at  his 
master's  feet. 

The  heavy  fall,  and  the  blood  that  gushed  forth,  star- 
tled even  the  duke  himself  ;  but  curiosity  soon  overpowered 
fear,  and  the  light  of  the  torches  was  speedily  thrown  on 
the  body. 

A  white  beard,  a  venerable  visage,  and  limbs  contracted 
by  death,  were  then  visible.  "The  admiral!"  cried 
twenty  voices,  as  instantaneously  hushed. 

"Yes,  the  admiral  !"  said  the  duke  approaching  the 
corpse,  and  contemplating  it  with  silent  ecstasy. 

"  The  admiral  !  the  admiral  !  "  repeated  the  witnesses 
of  this  terrible  scene,  timidly  approaching  the  old  man, 
majestic  even  in  death. 

"Ah,  at  last,  Gaspard  ! "  said  the  Duke  de  Guise, 
triumphantly.  "  Murderer  of  my  father  !  thus  do  I 
avenge  him  ! " 

And  the  duke  dared  to  plant  his  foot  on  the  breast  of 
the  Protestant  hero.  But  instantly  the  dying  warrior 
opened  his  eyes,  his  bleeding  and  mutilated  hand  clenched 
itself,  and  the  admiral,  with  a  sepulchral  voice,  said  to  the 
duke  : 

"  Henry  de  Guise,  one  day  the  foot  of  the  assassin  shall 
be  planted  on  thy  breast !  I  did  not  kill  thy  father,  and 
I  curse  thee  ! " 

The  duke,  pale,  and  trembling  in  spite  of  himself,  felt 
a  cold  shudder  come  over  him.  He  passed  his  hand  across 
his  brow,  as  if  to  dispel  the  fearful  vision  ;  and  when  he 
dared  again  to  glance  at  the  admiral,'  his  eyes  were  closed, 
his  hand  unclenched,  and  a  stream  of  black  blood  poured 
over  his  silvery  beard  from  that  mouth  which  had  so 
lately  uttered  the  terrible  denunciation  against  his  mur- 
derer. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  79 

The  duke  lifted  his  sword  with  a  gesture  of  desperate 
resolution. 

"  Are  you  satisfied,  monseigneur  ?  "  asked  Besme. 

"  Yes,"  returned  Henry  ;  "  for  thou  hast  avenged " 

"  The  Duke  Fran9ois  1 "  said  De  Besme. 

"  The  Catholic  religion/'  returned  Henry.  Then, 
turning  to  the  soldiers  and  citizens  who  filled  the  court 
and  street,  "  To  work,  my  friends,  to  work  ! " 

"  Good  evening,  M.  de  Besme/'  said  Coconnas,  ap- 
proaching the  German,  who  stood  on  the  balcony,  wiping 
his  sword. 

"  It  was  you,  then,  who  settled  him  1 "  cried  La  Huriere; 
"  how  did  you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  Oh,  very  easily  :  he  heard  a  noise,  opened  his  door, 
and  I  ran  him  through  the  body.  But  I  think  they  are 
killing  Teligny  now,  for  I  hear  him  yelling." 

At  this  moment,  several  cries  of  distress  were  heard, 
and  the  windows  of  the  long  gallery  that  formed  a  wing 
of  the  hotel  were  lighted  up  with  a  red  glare  ;  two  mpn 
were  seen  flying  before  a  body  of  assassins.  An  arque- 
buss  shot  killed  one  ;  the  other  sprang  boldly  and  without 
stopping  to  look  at  the  distance  from  the  ground,  through 
an  open  window  into  the  court  below,  heeding  not  the 
enemies  who  awaited  him  there. 

"  Kill !  kill !  "  cried  the  assassins,  seeing  their  prey 
about  to  escape  them. 

The  fugitive  picked  up  his  sword,  which  in  his  leap  had 
fallen  from  his  hand,  dashed  through  the  soldiers,  upset 
three  or  four,  ran  one  through  the  body,  and  amid  the 
pistol-shots  and  imprecations  of  the  furious  Catholics, 
darted  like  lightning  by  Coconnas,  who  stood  ready  for 
him  at  the  door. 

"  Touched  !  "  cried  the  Piedmontese,  piercing  his  arm 
with  his  sharp  blade. 

"  Coward  ! "  replied  the  fugitive,  striking  him  on  the 
face  with  the  flat  of  his  weapon,  for  want  of  room  to  thrust 
at  him  with  its  point. 

"  A  thousand  devils  ! "  cried  Coconnas  j  "  it's  M.  de  la 
Mole  I" 


80  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  ! "  re-echoed  La  Huridre  and  Maurevel, 

"  It  is  he  who  warned  the  admiral  ! "  cried  several  sol- 
diers. 

"  Kill  him — kill  him  ! "  was  shouted  on  all  sides. 

Coconnas,  La  Huri£re,  and  half  a  score  of  soldiers, 
rushed  in  pursuit  of  La  Mole,  who,  covered  with  blood, 
and  having  attained  that  state  of  desperation  which  is  the 
last  resource  of  human  strength,  dashed  wildly  through 
the  streets,  with  no  other  guide  than  instinct.  Behind 
him,  the  footsteps  and  shouts  of  his  pursuers  gave  him 
wings.  Occasionally  a  ball  whistled  by  his  ear,  and  made 
him  dart  forward  with  redoubled  speed.  He  no  longer 
seemed  to  breathe :  it  was  a  hoarse  rattle  which  came 
from  his  chest.  His  pourpoint  seemed  to  prevent  his 
heart  from  beating,  and  he  tore  it  off  ;  soon  his  sword 
became  too  heavy  for  his  hand,  and  he  threw  it  away. 
The  blood  and  perspiration  matted  his  hair,  and  trickled 
in  heavy  drops  down  his  face.  Sometimes  it  seemed  to 
him  that  he  was  gaining  on  his  pursuers,  and  he  could 
hear  their  steps  die  away  in  the  distance ;  but  at  their 
cries,  fresh  murderers  started  up  at  every  turn,  and  con- 
tinued the  chase  ;  suddenly  he  perceived,  on  his  left,  the 
river,  rolling  silently  on  ;  he  felt,  like  the  stag  at  bay,  an 
invincible  desire  to  plunge  into  it ;  the  supreme  power  of 
reason  alone  restrained  him.  On  his  right  was  the  Louvre, 
dark  and  frowning,  but  full  of  strange  and  ominous  sounds; 
soldiers  on  the  drawbridge  came  and  went,  and  helmets 
and  cuirasses  glittered  in  the  moonlight.  La  Mole  thought 
of  the  King  of  Navarre,  as  he  had  before  thought  of  Col- 
igny  :  they  were  his  only  protectors, — it  was  his  last  hope. 
He  collected  all  his  strength,  and  inwardly  vowing  to 
abjure  his  faith  should  he  escape  massacre,  he  rushed  by 
the  soldiers,  on  to  the  drawbridge,  received  another  pon- 
iard stab  in  the  side,  and  despite  the  cries  of  "  Kill — kill ! " 
that  resounded  on  all  sides,  and  the  opposing  weapons  of 
the  sentinels,  darted  like  an  arrow  through  the  court,  into 
the  vestibule,  mounted  the  staircase,  then  up  two  stories 
higher,  recognized  a  door,  and  leaned  against  it,  striking 
it  violently  with  his  hands  and  feet. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  $J 

"  Who  is  there  ?  "  asked  a  woman's  voice. 

"  Oh,  my  God  ! "  murmured  La  Mole — "  they  are  com- 
ing, I  hear  them  ;  'tis  I — 'tis  I ! " 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  said  the  voice. 

La  Mole  recollected  the  pass-word. 

"  Navarre — Navarre  ! "  cried  he. 

The  door  instantly  opened.  La  Mole,  without  thank- 
ing, or  even  seeing  Gillonne,  dashed  into  the  vestibule, 
then  along  a  corridor,  through  two  or  three  chambers, 
until,  at  last,  he  entered  a  room  lighted  by  a  lamp  sus- 
pended from  the  ceiling. 

Beneath  curtains  of  velvet  with  gold  fleurs-de-lis,  in  a 
bed  of  carved  oak,  a  lady,  wrapped  in  a  dressing-gown, 
raised  herself  on  her  arm,  and  gazed  with  terror. 

La  Mole  precipitated  himself  towards  her. 

"  Madame,"  cried  he,  "  they  are  killing,  they  are  butch- 
ering my  brothers — they  seek  to  kill  me  also  !  You  are 
queen — save  me  ! " 

And  he  threw  himself  at  her  feet,  leaving  on  the  carpet 
a  large  track  of  blood. 

At  the  sight  of  a  man,  pale,  exhausted,  and  bleeding  at 
her  feet,  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  who,  warned  by  Madame 
de  Lorraine,  had  laid  down  without  undressing  herself, 
clasped  her  hands  over  her  eyes,  and  shrieked  for  help. 

"  Madame,"  cried  La  Mole,  "  for  the  love  of  Heaven, 
do  not  call !  If  you  do,  I  am  lost,  for  my  murderers  are  at 
hand  ;  they  are  on  the  stairs — hark  !  I  hear  them  now  ! " 

"  Help  !  "  cried  the  queen—"  help  !  " 

"Ah  ! "  said  La  Mole,  despairingly,  "  you  have  killed 
me.  I  did  not  think  it  possible  to  die  by  so  sweet  a  voice, 
so  fair  a  hand  !  " 

At  the  same  time,  the  door  flew  open,  and  a  troop  of 
men,  their  faces  covered  with  blood  and  blackened  with 
powder,  their  swords  drawn,  and  their  pikes  and  arque- 
busses  leveled,  rushed  into  the  apartment. 

Coconnas  was  at  their  head — his  red  hair  bristling,  his 
eye  flashing  fire,  and  his  cheek  cut  open  by  La  Mole's 
sword.  The  Piedmontese  was  terrible  to  behold. 

"  Mordil"  cried  he,  "  we  have  him  at  last." 
6 


82  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

La  Mole  looked  round  him  for  a  weapon,  but  in  vain  ; 
he  glanced  at  the  queen,  and  saw  profound  commiseration 
depicted  in  her  face  ;  he  at  once  felt  that  she  alone  could 
save  him  ;  he  threw  his  arms  round  her. 

Coconnas  advanced,  and  with  the  point  of  his  long  rapier 
again  wounded  his  enemy's  shoulder,  and  the  crimson 
drops  of  warm  blood  stained  the  white  and  perfumed  sheets 
of  Marguerite's  couch. 

Marguerite  saw  the  blood  flow,  and  felt  the  shudder  that 
ran  through  La  Mole's  frame  :  she  threw  herself  with  him 
into  the  recess  between  the  bed  and  the  wall.  It  was  time  : 
for  La  Mole  was  incapable  of  flight  or  resistance,  his  head 
leaned  on  Marguerite's  shoulder,  and  his  hand  convul- 
sively seized  and  tore  its  thin  cambric  covering. 

"Oh,  madaine,"  murmured  he,  "save  me." 

He  could  say  no  more.  A  mist  came  over  his  eyes,  his 
head  sunk  back,  his  arms  fell  at  his  side,  and  he  sunk  on 
the  floor,  bathed  in  his  blood,  and  dragging  the  queen 
with  him. 

At  this  moment,  Coconnas,  excited  by  the  sight  of  blood 
and  exasperated  by  the  long  pursuit,  advanced  towards 
the  recess  ;  in  another  instant,  his  sword  would  have 
pierced  La  Mole's  heart,  and  perhaps  that  of  Marguerite 
also. 

At  the  sight  of  the  bare  steel,  and  even  more  moved  at 
the  insolence  of  the  man,  the  daughter  of  kings  drew  her- 
self up  to  her  full  height,  and  sent  forth  such  a  cry  of  fear, 
indignation,  and  rage,  that  Coconnas  stood  petrified. 

Suddenly,  a  door  in  the  wall  opened,  and  a  young  man 
of  sixteen  or  seventeen,  dressed  in  black  and  his  hair  in 
disorder,  rushed  in. 

" Hold  !  hold  1 "  cried  he  ;  "I  am  here,  my  sister — I 
am  here  ! " 

f<  Fran9ois  !  Fra^ois  !  "  cried  Marguerite — "  help  ! 
help  ! » 

"  The  Duke  d'Alengon ! "  murmured  La  Huri^re, 
grounding  his  arquebuss. 

"  Mordi!  a  son  of  France  I"  growled  Coconnas,  draw- 
ing back. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  83 

The  duke  glanced  round  him.  He  saw  Marguerite, 
disheveled,  more  lovely  than  ever,  leaning  against  the 
wall  surrounded  by  men,  fury  in  her  eyes,  large  drops  of 
perspiration  on  her  forehead. 

"  Wretches  ! "  cried  he. 

"  Save  me,  my  brother  ! "  shrieked  Marguerite.  "  They 
are  going  to  kill  me  \" 

The  duke's  pallid  face  became  crimson.  He  was  un- 
armed, but  sustained,  no  doubt,  by  the  consciousness  of 
his  rank,  he  advanced  with  clenched  teeth  and  hands  to- 
wards Coconnas  and  his  companions,  who  retreated  terri- 
fied at  the  lightning  darting  from  his  eyes. 

"Ha!  and  will  you  murder  a  son  of  France,  too?" 
cried  the  duke.  Then,  as  they  recoiled — "  Without  there  ! 
captain  of  the  guard  !  Hang  me  every  one  of  these 
ruffians  ! " 

More  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  this  weaponless  young  man 
than  he  would  have  been  at  the  aspect  of  a  regiment  of 
lansquenets,  Coconnas  had  already  reached  the  door.  La 
Huriere  sprang  after  him  like  a  deer,  and  the  soldiers 
jostled  and  pushed  each  other  in  the  vestibule,  in  their 
endeavors  to  escape,  finding  the  door  far  too  small  for 
their  great  desire  to  be  outside  it.  Meantime  Marguerite 
had  instinctively  thrown  the  damask  coverlid  of  her  bed 
over  La  Mole,  and  withdrawn  from  him. 

No  sooner  had  the  last  murderer  departed,  than  the 
duke  turned  to  his  sister. 

"  Are  you  hurt  ?  "  cried  he,  seeing  Marguerite  covered 
with  blood.  And  he  darted  towards  his  sister  with  an 
anxiety  that  did  credit  to  his  fraternal  tenderness. 

"No/'  said  she,  "  I  think  not  ;  or  if  I  am,  it  is  but 
slightly/' 

"  But  this  blood,"  said  the  duke  ;  "  whence  comes  it  ?" 

"  I  know  not,"  replied  she,  "  one  of  those  wretches 
seized  me,  and  perhaps  he  was  wounded." 

"What  !"  cried  the  duke,  "dare  to  touch  my  sister  ? 
Oh,  had  you  but  shown  him  to  me— did  I  but  know  where 
to  find  him " 

"  Leave  me,"  said  Marguerite. 


84  MARGUERI/E  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Well,  Marguerite/'  said  he,  "  I  will  go  ;  but  you  can- 
not remain  alone  this  dreadful  night.  Shall  I  call  Gil- 
lonne  ?  " 

"  No,  no  !  leave  me,  Fra^ois — leave  me  !  " 

The  prince  obeyed;  and  hardly  had  he  disappeared, 
than  Marguerite,  hearing  a  groan  from  the  recess,  hastily 
bolted  the  door  of  the  secret  passage,  and  then  hastening 
to  the  other  entrance,  closed  it  just  as  a  troop  of  archers 
dashed  by  in  hot  chase  of  some  other  Huguenot  residents 
in  the  Louvre. 

After  glancing  round,  to  assure  herself  she  was  really 
alone,  she  lifted  the  covering  that  had  concealed  La  Mole 
from  the  Duke  d'Alenc.on,  and  tremblingly  drawing  the 
apparently  lifeless  body,  by  great  exertion,  into  the  middle 
of  the  room,  and  finding  the  victim  still  breathed,  sat 
down,  placed  his  head  on  her  knees,  and  sprinkled  his 
face  with  water. 

Then  it  was  that  the  mask  of  blood,  dust,  and  gun- 
powder which  had  covered  his  face  being  removed,  Mar- 
guerite recognized  the  handsome  cavalier  who,  full  of  life 
and  hope,  had  but  three  or  four  hours  before  solicited  her 
protection  and  that  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  and  whilst 
dazzled  by  her  own  beauty,  had  attracted  her  attention  by 
his  own. 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry  of  terror,  for  now  it  was  more 
than  mere  pity  that  she  felt  for  the  wounded  man — it  was 
interest.  He  was  no  longer  a  stranger  ;  he  was  almost 
an  acquaintance.  By  her  care,  La  Mole's  fine  features  soon 
reappeared,  free  from  stain,  but  pale  and  distorted  by 
pain.  A  shudder  ran  through  her  whole  frame,  as  she 
tremblingly  placed  her  hand  on  his  heart.  It  still  beat. 
She  then  took  a  smelling-bottle  from  the  table  and  applied 
it  to  his  nostrils. 

La  Mole  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Oh  !  mon  Dieu  I "  murmured  he — "  where  am  I  ?  " 

"Saved! "said  Marguerite.  "Reassure  yourself — you 
are  saved." 

La  Mole  turned  his  eyes  on  the  queen,  gazed  earnestly 
for  a  moment,  and  murmuring — "Oh,  loveliest  of  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  85 

lovely  ! "  closed  his  lids,  as  if  overpowered,  and  sent  forth 
a  long,  deep  sigh. 

Marguerite  started.  He  had  become  still  paler  than  be- 
fore, if  that  were  possible,  and  she  feared  that  sigh  was 
his  last. 

"  Oh,  Heaven  ! "  she   cried,  "  have  pity  on  him  !  " 

At  this  moment  a  violent  knocking  was  heard  at  the 
door.  Marguerite  half  raised  herself,  still  supporting  La 
Mole. 

"  Who  is  there  ?"  she  cried. 

"Madame,  it  is  I — it  is  I,"  replied  a  female  voice; 
"the  Duchess  de  Nevers." 

"  Heuriette  !  "  cried  Marguerite.  "  There  is  no  danger  ; 
it  is  my  friend.  Do  you  hear  me,  sir  ? " 

La  Mole  contrived  to  raise  himself  on  one  knee. 

"  Endeavor  to  support  yourself,"  said  the  queen. 

La  Mole,  resting  his  hand  on  the  ground,  managed  to 
keep  his  equilibrium. 

Marguerite  advanced  towards  the  door,  but  stopped 
suddenly. 

"  Ah,  you  are  not  alone  ! "  she  said,  hearing  the  clash 
of  arms  outside. 

"  No,  I  have  twelve  guards,  that  my  brother-in-law, 
M.  de  Guise,  assigned  me." 

'•'  M.  de  Guise  !  "  murmured  La  Mole.  "  The  assassin 
— the  assassin  ! " 

" Silence  ! "  said  Marguerite.     "Not  a  word  ! " 

And  she  looked  round,  to  see  where  she  could  conceal 
the  wounded  man. 

"  A  sword  !  a  dagger  ! "  muttered  La  Mole. 

"  To  defend  yourself — useless  !  Did  you  not  hear  ? 
They  are  twelve,  and  you  alone." 

"  Not  to  defend  myself,  but  that  I  may  not  fall  alive 
into  their  hands." 

"No,  no  !  "  said  Marguerite.  "  I  will  save  you.  Ah  ! 
this  cabinet  !  Come  !  come  ! " 

La  Mole  made  an  effort,  and,  supported  by  Marguerite, 
dragged  himself  to  the  cabinet.  Marguerite  locked  the 
door  upon  him,  and  hid  the  key  in  her  alms-purse. 


86  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"Not  a  sound,  not  a  movement/'  whispered  she, 
through  the  lattice- work,  "  and  you  are  saved." 

Then  hastily  throwing  a  mantle  round  her,  she  opened 
the  door  for  her  friend,  who  tenderly  embraced  her. 

"Ah!"  cried  Madame  Nevers,  "you  are  unhurt 
then?" 

"  Quite,"  replied  Marguerite,  wrapping  the  mantle  still 
more  closely  round  her,  to  conceal  the  blood  on  her 
dress. 

' ( "Tis  well.  However,  M.  de  Guise  has  given  me 
twelve  of  his  guards  to  escort  me  to  his  hotel,  and  as  I 
do  not  need  so  many,  I  will  leave  six  with  your  majesty. 
Six  of  the  duke's  guards  are  worth  a  regiment  of  the 
king's  to-night." 

Marguerite  dared  not  refuse  :  she  placed  the  soldiers  in 
the  corridor,  and  embraced  the  duchess,  who  then  re- 
turned to  the  H6tel  de  Guise,  where  she  resided  in  her 
husband's  absence. 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

THE    MURDERERS. 

COCONNAS  had  not  fled,  he  had  but  retreated  :  La 
Huriere  had  not  fled,  he  had  flown.  The  one  had  dis- 
appeared like  a  tiger,  the  other  like  a  wolf. 

The  consequence  was,  that  La  Huriere  had  already 
reached  the  Place-Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois,  when  Co- 
connas  had  only  just  quitted  the  Louvre. 

La  Huriere  was  prudently  thinking  of  returning  home, 
but  as  he  turned  the  corner,  in  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre-Sec, 
he  fell  in  with  a  troop  of  Swiss  and  light  horse,  led  by 
Maurevel.  . 

"  Well  1 "  exclaimed  the  latter,  who  had  christened 
himself  the  King's  Killer,  "  have  you  finished  already  ? 
What  the  devil  have  you  done  with  -our  Piedmcntese 
gentleman  ?  Has  any  mischance  happened  to  him  ?  It 
would  be  a  pity,  for  he  went  to  work  like  a  hero." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  87 

"I  hope  not,"  responded  La  Hurie're  ;  "and  where  are 
you  going  to  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  have  a  small  private  affair." 

"  Then  let  me  go  with  you,"  said  a  voice  which  made 
Maurevel  start ;  "  for  you  know  all  the  good  places/' 

"It  is  M.  de  Coconnas,"  said  La  Huri£re. 

"  Ah  1  you  have  come  from  the  Louvre.  Did  your 
Huguenot,  then,  take  refuge  there  ?  "  asked  Maurevel. 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  yes." 

"  I  gave  him  a  pistol-shot  at  the  moment  when  he  was 
picking  up  his  sword  in  the  admiral's  courtyard,  but  I 
somehow  or  other  missed  him." 

"  I,"  added  Coconnas,  "  did  not  miss  him  :  I  gave  him 
such  a  thrust  in  the  back  that  my  sword  was  wet  five 
inches  up  the  blade.  Besides,  I  saw  him  fall  into  the 
arms  of  Madame  Marguerite,  a  fine  woman,  mordi  I  yet  I 
confess  I  should  not  be  sorry  to  hear  he  was  really  dead  ; 
the  vagabond  is  infernally  spiteful,  and  capable  of  bear- 
ing me  a  grudge  all  his  life. " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  go  with  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  do  not  like  standing  still.  Mordi  I  I  have  only 
killed  three  or  four  as  yet,  and  when  I  get  cold  my 
shoulder  pains  me. — Forward  !  forward  ! " 

"  Captain,"  said  Maureve1  to  the  commander  of  the 
troop,  "give  me  three  men,  ancLgO-Qa  your  own  way  with 
the  rest." 

Three  Swiss  were  desired  to  follow  Maurevel,  who  fol- 
lowed by  Coconnas  anrl  La  Huriere,  went  towards  the 
Rue  Sainte  Avoid. 

"  Where  the  devil -are  we  going  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  To  the  Rue'  de  Chaume,  where  we  have  important 
business."  ./ 

"  Tell  m.%,*  said  Coconnas,  "  is  not  the  Rue  du  Chaume 
near  the  T'emple?" 

"  Why.  ?  » 

"  Because  an  old  creditor  of  our  family  lives  there,  one 
Lambent  Mercandon,  to  whom  my  father  has  desired  me 
to  hsffd  over  a  hundred  rose  nobles  I  have  in  my  pocket 
for/toit  purpose." 


88  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Well,"  replied  Manrevel,  "  this  is  a  good  opportunity 
for  paying  it.  This  is  the  day  for  settling  old  accounts. 
Is  your  Mercandon  a  Huguenot  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  understand  ! "  said  Coconnas ;  "  he  must  be * 

"  Hush  I  here  we  are." 

"What  is  that  large  hotel,  with  its  entrance  on  the 
street  ?" 

"  The  H6tel  de  Guise/* 

"Truly/*  returned  Coconnas,  "I  ought  not  to  have 
failed  coming  here,  as  I  am  under  the  patronage  of  the 
great  Henry.  But  mordi !  all  is  so  very  quiet  in  this 
quarter,  we  might  fancy  ourselves  in  the  country.  Devil 
fetch  me,  but  everybody  is  asleep  ! " 

And  indeed  the  H6tel  de  Guise  seemed  as  quiet  as  in 
ordinary  times.  All  the  windows  were  closed,  and  a  soli- 
tary light  burned  behind  the  blind  of  the  principal  win- 
dow over  the  entrance.  At  the  corner  of  the  Rue  des 
Quatre-Fils,  Maurevel  stopped. 

"This  is  the  house  of  him  we  seek/'  he  said.  "Do 
you,  La  Huriere,  with  your  sleek  look,  knock  at  the 
door :  hand  your  arquebuss  to  M.  de  Coconnas,  who  has 
been  ogling  it  this  last  half  hour.  If  you  are  introduced, 
you  must  ask  to  speak  to  M.  de  Mouy." 

"Oh!" said  Coconnas,  "now  I  understand — you  have 
a  creditor  in  tfre^q*iaFteiua£the  Temple,  it  would  seem." 

"  Exactly  so  !  "  responded  Maurevel.  "  You  will  go  up 
to  him  in  the  character  of  a  HiJguenot,  and  inform  M.  de 
Mouy  of  all  that  has  passed  :  hd  is  brave,  and  will  come 
down." 

"  And  once  down ?"  asked  tasHuriere. 

"  Once  down,  I  will  beg  of  him  to  crosswords  with  me." 

La  Huriere,  without  making  any  reply\knocked  at  the 
door,  and  the  sounds  echoing  in  the  silenceNof  the  night 
caused  the  doors  of  the  Hdtel  de  Guise  to  opeP,  and  sev- 
eral heads  to  make  their  appearance  from  ouk  them  ;  it 
was  then  evident  that  the  hotel  was  quiet,  after  the  fash- 
ion of  citadels,  that  is  to  say,  in  being  filled  with  soldiers. 
The  heads  were  instantly  withdrawn,  guessing, 
what  was  the  matter. 


MAKGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  89 

"  Does  your  M.  de  Mouy  live  here  ? "  inquired 
Coconnas,  pointing  to  the  house  at  which  La  Huri^re 
continued  to  knock. 

"  No,  but  his  mistress  does." 

"  Mordi  !  how  gallant  you  are,  to  give  him  an  occasion 
to  draw  sword  in  the  presence  of  his  lady-love  !  We  shall 
be  the  judges  of  the  field.  I  should  like  very  well  to  fight 
myself — my  shoulder  burns. " 

"  And  your  face/'  asked  Maurevel,  "it  is  considerably 
damaged,  is  it  not  ?" 

Coconnas  uttered  a  kind  of  growl. 

"  Mordi  !  "  he  said,  "  I  hope  he  is  dead  ;  if  I  thought 
not,  I  would  return  to  the  Louvre  and  finish  him." 

La  Huri^re  still  kept  knocking. 

Soon  the  window  on  the  first  floor  opened,  and  a  man 
appeared  in  the  balcony,  in  a  nightcap  and  drawers,  and 
unarmed. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  cried  he. 

Maurevel  made  a  sign  to  the  Swiss,  who  retreated  into 
a  corner,  whilst  Coconnas  stood  close  against  the  wall. 

"Ah  !  Monsieur  de  Mouy  ! "  said  the  innkeeper,  in  his 
blandest  tones,  "is  that  you  ?" 

"Yes;  what  then?" 

"  It  is  he  I"  said  Maurevel,  joyfully. 

"Well,  then,  sir/'  continued  La  Huri£re,  "  do  you  not 
know  what  is  going  on  ?  They  are  murdering  the  admiral, 
and  all  of  our  religion.  Hasten  to  their  assistance  !  " 

"  Ah  !  "  exclaimed  De  Mouy,  "  I  feared  something  was 
plotted  for  this  night.  I  ought  not  to  have  quitted  my 
brave  comrades.  I  will  come,  my  friend — wait  for  me." 

And  without  closing  the  window,  through  which  issued 
the  voice  of  a  female  in  alarm,  uttering  tender  supplica- 
tions, M.  de  Mouy  put  on  his  doublet,  cloak,  and  weapons. 

"  He  is  coming  down,  he  is  coming  down  ;  be  ready  !" 
murmured  Maurevel,  pale  with  joy,  and  taking  the  arque- 
buss  from  Coconnas,  and  blazing  the  match,  to  see  that  it 
was  alight,  returned  it  to  La  Huridre. 

"  Mordi  /"  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "the  moon  is  coming 
out,  to  see  this  beautiful  little  fight.  I  would  give  a  great 


90  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

deal  if  Lambert  Mercandon  were  here,  to  serve  as  M.  de 
Mouy's  secpnd." 

"  Wait,  wait  ! "  said  Maurevel ;  "  M.  de  Mouy  is  equal 
to  several  men  himself,  and  it  is  likely  that  we  six  shall 
have  enough  to  do  to  despatch  him.  Forward,  my  men  ! " 
continued  Maurevel,  making  a  sign  to  the  Swiss  to  stand 
by  the  door,  in  order  to  strike  De  Mouy  as  he  came  forth. 

"Ah  !  ah  \"  said  Coconnas,  as  he  watched  these  ar- 
rangements, "it  appears  that  this  will  not  come  off  quite 
as  I  expected." 

Already  was  heard  the  sound  of  the  bar  which  De  Mouy 
moved  aside.  The  Swiss  were  at  the  door  ;  Maurevel  and 
La  Huri^re  came  forward  on  tiptoe,  whilst,  from  a  feeling 
of  honor,  Coconnas  remained  where  he  was,  when  a  young 
female,  whom  no  one  had  expected,  appeared,  in  her  turn, 
in  the  balcony,  and  gave  a  terrible  shriek  when  she  saw 
the  Swiss,  Maurevel,  and  La  Huriere. 

De  Mouy,  who  had  already  half-opened  the  door 
paused. 

"  Return,  return  ! "  cried  the  damsel.  "  I  see  swords 
glitter,  and  the  match  of  an  arquebuss — there  is  treach- 
ery ! " 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  the  young  man,  "  let  us  see,  then, 
what  it  means." 

And  he  closed  the  door,  replaced  the  bar,  and  went  up- 
stairs again. 

Maurevel's  order  of  battle  was  changed,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  that  De  Mouy  did  not  come  out.  The  Swiss  went 
and  posted  themselves  at  the  other  corner  of  the  street, 
and  La  Huriere,  with  his  arquebuss  in  his  hand,  awaited 
the  reappearance  of  the  enemy  at  the  window. 

He  did  not  wait  long. 

De  Mouy  came  forward,  holding  before  him  two  pistols 
of  such  respectable  length,  that  La  Huriere,  who  was  tak- 
ing aim,  suddenly  reflected  that  the  Huguenot's  balls  had 
no  further  to  go  in  reaching  him,  than  had  his  to  reach 
the  balcony.  "It  is  true/'  said  he,  "  I  may  kill  the 
gentleman  ;  but  it  is  equally  true  that  the  gentleman  may 
kill  me  1 "  and  this  reflection  determined  him  to  retreat 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  91 

into  an  angle  of  the  Ene  de  Brae,  so  far  off,  as  to  make 
any  aim  of  his  at  De  Mouy  somewhat  uncertain. 

De  Mouy  cast  a  glance  around  him,  and  advanced  like 
a  man  preparing  to  fight  a  duel  ;  but  seeing  nothing,  he 
exclaimed  : 

"  Why,  it  appears,  my  friend,  that  you  have  forgotten 
your  arquebuss  at  my  door  !  I  am  here.  What  do  you 
want  with  me  ?  " 

"Ah,  ah  !"  said  Ooconnas  to  himself  ;  "this  is  a  brave 
fellow  ! " 

"  Well,"  continued  De  Mouy,  "  friends  or  enemies, 
whichever  you  are,  do  you  not  see  I  am  waiting  ?  " 

La  Huridre  kept  silence,  Maurevel  made  no  reply,  and 
the  three  Swiss  remained  in  covert. 

Coconnas  paused  an  instant  ;  then,  seeing  that  no  one 
continued  the  conversation  begun  by  La  Hnri^re  and  fol- 
lowed by  De  Mouy,  left  his  station,  and  advancing  into 
the  middle  of  the  street,  took  off  his  hat,  and  said  : 

"  Sir,  we  are  not  here  for  an  assassination,  as  you  seem 
to  suppose,  but  for  a  duel.  Eh,  mordi!  come  forward, 
Monsieur  de  Maurevel,  instead  of  turning  your  back.  The 
gentleman  accepts." 

"  Maurevel  ! "  cried  De  Mouy  ;  "  Maurevel,  the  assassin 
of  my  father  !  Maurevel,  the  king's  assassin  !  Ah,  par- 
dieu!  Yes,  I  accept." 

And  taking  aim  at  Maurevel,  who  was  about  to  knock 
at  the  Hotel  de  Guise  to  request  a  reinforcement,  he  sent 
a  ball  through  his  hat. 

At  the  noise  of  the  report  and  Maurevel's  cries,  the 
guard  which  had  escorted  Madame  de  Kevers  came  out, 
accompanied  by  three  or  four  gentlemen,  followed  by  their 
pages,  and  approached  the  house  of  young  De  Mouy's 
mistress. 

A  second  pistol-shot,  fired  into  the  midst  of  the  troop, 
killed  the  soldier  next  to  Manrevel  ;  after  which,  De 
Mouy,  having  no  longer  any  loaded  arms,  sheltered  him- 
self within  the  gallery  of  the  balcony. 

Meantime,  windows  began  to  be  opened  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  according  to  the  respective  dispositions  of  their 

DUMAS — \rOL.   III.— 6 


92  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

pacific  or  bellicose  inhabitants,  were  closed,  or  bristled 
with  muskets  and  arquebusses. 

"  Help  !  my  worthy  Mercandon,"  shouted  De  Mouy, 
making  a  sign  to  a  man  in  years,  who  from  a  window 
which  opened  in  front  of  the  Hdtel  de  Guise,  was  trying 
to  make  out  the  cause  of  the  confusion. 

"  Is  it  you  who  call,  Sire  de  Mouy  ?  "  cried  the  old  man  ; 
"  is  it  you  they  are  attacking  ?  " 

"  Me — you — all  the  Protestants  ;  and  there — there  is  the 
proof  !" 

That  moment,  De  Mouy  had  seen  La  Huriere  direct  his 
arquebuss  at  him  :  it  was  fired  ;  but  the  young  man 
stooped,  and  the  ball  broke  a  window  behind  him. 

"  Mercandon  I" exclaimed  Coconnas,  who,  in  his  delight 
at  sight  of  the  tumult,  had  forgotten  his  creditor,  but 
was  reminded  of  him  by  this  apostrophe  of  De  Mouy — 
"  Mercandou,  Rue  du  Chaume — that  is  it  !  Ah,  he  lives 
there  !  Good  !  We  shall  each  arrange  our  affairs  with 
our  men  ! " 

And,  whilst  the  people  from  the  Hdtel  de  Guise  broke 
in  the  doors  of  De  Mouy's  house,  and  Mau revel,  torch  in 
hand,  tried  to  set  it  on  fire — whilst,  the  doors  once  broken, 
there  was  a  fearful  struggle  with  an  antagonist  who  at 
each  pistol-shot  and  each  rapier-thrust  brought  down  his 
foe — Coconnas  tried,  by  the  help  of  a  paving-stone,  to 
break  in  the  door  of  Mercandon,  who,  unmoved  by  this 
solitary  effort,  was  doing  his  best  with  his  arquebuss  out 
of  his  window. 

And  now,  all  this  desert  and  obscure  quarter  was  lighted 
up,  as  if  by  open  day — peopled  like  the  interior  of  an  ant- 
hive  ;  for,  from  the  H6tel  de  Montmorency,  six  or  eight 
Huguenot  gentlemen,  with  their  servants  and  friends,  issu- 
ing forth,  made  a  furious  charge,  and  began,  supported 
by  the  firing  from  the  windows,  to  repulse  MaurevePs 
and  the  De  Guises'  force,  whom  at  length  they  drove  back 
to  the  place  whence  they  had  come. 

Coconnas,  who  had  not  yet  managed  to  drive  in  Mer- 
candon's  door,  though  he  tried  to  do  so  with  all  his  might, 
was  surprised  in  this  sudden  retreat.  Placing  his  back 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  93 

to  the  wall,  and  grasping  his  sword  firmly,  he  began,  not 
only  to  defend  himself,  but  to  attack  his  assailants,  with 
cries  so  terrible,  that  they  were  heard  above  all  the  up- 
roar. He  struck  right  and  left,  hitting  friends  and 
enemies,  until  a  wide  space  was  cleared  around  him.  In 
proportion  as  his  rapier  made  a  hole  in  some  breast,  and 
the  warm  blood  spurted  over  on  his  hands  and  face,  he, 
with  dilated  eye,  expanded  nostrils,  and  clenched  teeth, 
regained  the  ground  he  had  lost,  and  again  approached 
the  beleaguered  house. 

De  Mouy,  after  a  terrible  combat  in  the  staircase  and 
hall,  had  ended  by  coming  out  of  the  burning  house  like 
a  true  hero.  In  the  midst  of  all  the  struggle,  he  had  not 
ceased  to  cry  :  "  Here,  Maurevel  ! — Maurevel,  where  are 
you  ? "  insulting  him  by  the  most  opprobrious  epithets. 
He  at  length  appeared  in  the  street,  supporting  on  one 
arm  his  mistress,  half  naked  and  nearly  fainting,  and 
holding  a  poniard  between  his  teeth.  His  sword,  flaming 
by  the  sweeping  action  he  gave  it,  traced  circles  of  white 
or  red,  according  as  the  moon'  glittered  on  the  blade,  or  a 
flambeau  glared  on  its  blood-stained  brightness.  Maurevel 
had  fled.  La  Huriere,  driven  back  by  De  Mouy  as  far  as 
Coconnas,  who  did  not  recognize  him,  and  received  him 
at  sword's  point,  entreated  mercy  on  both  sides.  At  this 
moment,  Mercandon  perceived  him,  and  knew  him,  by 
his  white  scarf,  to  be  one  of  the  murderers.  He  fired. 
La  Huriere  shrieked,  threw  up  his  arms,  dropped  his 
arquebuss,  and,  after  having  vainly  attempted  to  reach 
the  wall,  in  order  to  support  himself,  fell  with  his  face  flat 
on  the  earth. 

De  Mouy,  profiting  by  this  circumstance,  turned  down 
the  Rue  de  Paradis,  and  disappeared. 

Such  had  been  the  resistance  of  the  Huguenots,  that 
the  De  Guise  party,  quite  repulsed,  had  retired  into  their 
hotel,  fearing  to  be  besieged  and  taken  in  their  own 
habitation. 

Coconnas,  who,  drunk  with  blood  and  riot,  had  reached 
that  degree  of  excitement  when,  with  the  men  of  the 
South  more  especially,  courage  changes  into  madness,  had 


94  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

not  seen  or  heard  anything,  was  going  towards  a  man 
lying  with  his  face  downwards  in  a  pool  of  blood,  and 
whom  he  recognized  for  La  Huriere,  when  the  door  of  the 
house  he  had  in  vain  tried  to  burst  in  opened,  and  old 
Mercandon,  followed  by  his  son  and  two  nephews,  rushed 
upon  him. 

"  Here  he  is  !  here  he  is  ! "  cried  they  all,  with  one 
voice. 

Coconnas  was  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  fearing 
to  be  surrounded  by  these  four  men  who  assailed  him  at 
once,  gave  one  of  those  chamois  bounds  which  he  had  so 
often  practised  in  his  native  mountains,  and  in  an  instant 
found  himself  with  his  back  against  the  wall  of  the  H6tel 
de  Guise.  Once  at  ease  as  to  not  being  surprised  from 
behind,  he  put  himself  in  a  posture  of  defense,  and  said, 
jestingly,  "  Ah  1  ah  !  Daddy  Mercandon,  don't  you  know 
me?" 

"Wretch!"  cried  the  old  Huguenot,  "I  know  you 
well  ;  you  are  engaged  against  me — me,  the  friend  and 
companion  of  your  father  ! " 

"  And  his  creditor,  are  you  not  ?  " 

"Yes  ;  his  creditor,  as  you  say." 

"  Well,  then, "  said  Coconnas,  "  I  have  come  to  settle 
the  account." 

"  Seize  him,  bind  him  ! "  said  Mercandon  to  the  young 
men  who  accompanied  him,  and  who  at  his  bidding  rushed 
towards  the  Piedmontese. 

"  One  moment !  one  moment !  "  said  Coconnas,  laughing, 
"  to  seize  a  man  you  must  have  a  writ,  and  you  have 
forgotten  that." 

And  with  these  words,  he  crossed  his  sword  with  the 
young  man  nearest  to  him  and  at  the  first  blow  cut  his 
wrist  to  the  bone. 

The  wounded  man  retreated,  with  a  shriek  of  agony. 

"  That  will  do  for  one  !"  said  Coconnas. 

At  the  same  moment,  the  window  under  which  Cocon- 
nas had  sought  shelter,  opened.  He  sprang  on  one  side, 
fearing  an  attack  from  behind  ;  but,  instead  of  an  enemy, 
it  was  a  woman  he  beheld ;  instead  of  the  enemy's  weapon 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  95 

he  was  prepared  to  encounter,  it  was  a  nosegay  that  fell 
at  his  feet. 

"Ah  I  "he  said,  "  a  woman!"  He  saluted  the  lady 
with  his  sword,  and  stooped  to  pick  up  the  bouquet. 

"Be  on  your  guard,  brave  Catholic  1 — be  on  your 
guard ! "  cried  the  lady. 

Coconnas  rose,  but  not  before  the  dagger  of  the  second 
nephew  had  pierced  his  cloak,  and  wounded  his  other 
shoulder. 

The  lady  uttered  a  piercing  shriek. 

Coconnas  thanked  her,  assured  her  by  a  gesture,  and 
then  made  a  pass  at  the  nephew,  which  he  parried  ;  but  at 
the  second  thrust,  his  foot  slipped  in  the  blood,  and  Co- 
connas, springing  at  him  like  a  tiger-cat,  drove  his  sword 
through  his  breast. 

"  Good  !  good  !  brave  cavalier  ! "  exclaimed  the  lady 
of  the  H6tel  de  Guise — "  good  !  I  will  send  you 
succor." 

"  Do  not  give  yourself  any  trouble  about  that,  madame," 
was  Coconnas's  reply  ;  ' '  rather  look  on  to  the  end,  if  it 
interests  you,  and  see  how  the  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas 
settles  the  Huguenots." 

At  this  moment  the  son  of  old  Mercandon  placed  a 
pistol  almost  close  to  Coconnas,  and  fired.  The  count  fell 
on  his  knee.  The  lady  at  the  window  shrieked  again ; 
but  Coconnas  rose  instantly  ;  he  had  only  knelt  to  avoid 
the  ball,  which  struck  the  wall  about  two  feet  beneath 
where  the  lady  was  standing. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  there  issued  a  cry  of  rage 
from  the  window  of  Mercandon's  house,  and  an  old  woman 
who  recognized  Coconnas  as  a  Catholic,  from  his  white 
scarf  and  cross,  threw  a  flower-pot  at  him,  which  struck 
him  above  the  knee. 

"  Bravo  !"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  one  throws  me  flowers  and 
the  other  flower-pots." 

"  Thanks,  mother — thanks  ! "  said  the  young  man. 

<f  Go  on  wife,  go  on,"  said  old  Mercandon  ;  "but  take 
care  of  yourself." 

"  Ah  I"  said  Coconnas,  "  the  women  are  in  arms,  then, 


96  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

some  for  me,  and  others  against  me  !  Mordi  f  let  us  end 
this." 

The  scene,  in  fact,  was  much  changed  ;  and  evidently 
drew  near  its  close.  Coconnas  was  wounded  in  the  face, 
it  is  true,  but  in  all  the  vigour  of  four-and-twenty,  used 
to  arms,  and  irritated  rather  than  weakened  by  the  three 
or  four  scratches  he  had  received ;  whilst  on  the  other  side 
there  remained  only  Mercandon  and  his  son,  an  old  man 
of  sixty  or  seventy  years,  and  a  stripling  of  sixteen  or 
eighteen,  pale,  fair,  and  weak,  and  who,  having  discharged 
his  pistol,  which  was  consequently  useless,  was  brandish- 
ing a  sword  half  the  length  of  that  of  the  Piedmontese. 
The  father,  armed  only  with  a  dagger  and  a  discharged 
arquebtiss,  was  calling  for  help.  An  old  woman,  looking 
out  of  the  window,  held  a  piece  of  marble  in  her  hand, 
which  she  was  preparing  to  hurl  down.  Coconnas,  ex- 
cited on  the  one  hand  by  menaces,  and  on  the  other  by 
encouragements,  proud  of  his  twofold  victory,  drunken 
with  powder  and  blood,  lighted  by  the  reflection  of  a 
house  in  flames,  warmed  by  the  idea  that  he  was  fighting 
under  the  eyes  of  a  female  whose  beauty  was  as  superior 
as  he  felt  assured  she  was  of  high  rank — Coconnas,  like 
the  last  of  the  Horatii,  felt  his  strength  redouble,  and 
seeing  the  young  man  falter,  rushed  on  him  and  crossed 
his  small  weapon  with  his  terrible  and  bloody  rapier. 
Two  blows  sufficed  to  drive  it  out  of  his  hands.  Then 
Mercandon  tried  to  drive  Coconnas  back,  so  that  the  pro- 
jectiles thrown  from  the  window  might  be  sure  to  strike 
him,  but  Coconnas,  to  paralyze  the  double  attack  of  the 
old  man,  who  tried  to  stab  him  with  his  dagger,  and  the 
mother  of  the  young  man,  who  was  endeavoring  to  break 
his  skull  with  the  stone  she  was  ready  to  throw,  seized  his 
adversary  by  the  body,  presenting  him  against  all  the 
blows,  as  a  buckler,  and  well  nigh  strangling  him  in  his 
Herculean  grasp. 

"  Help  !  help  ! "  cried  the  young  man,  "  he  is  break- 
ing my  breast-bone — help  !  help  !  "  and  his  voice  grew 
faint  in  a  low  and  choking  groan. 

Then  Mercandon  ceased  to  attack,  and  began  to  entreat. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  97 

"  Mercy,  mercy  !  Monsieur  de  Coconnas,  mercy ! — he 
is  my  only  child  ! " 

"  He  is  my  son,  my  son  ! "  cried  the  mother  ;  "  the 
hope  of  oar  old  age  !  Do  not  kill  him,  sir — do  not  kill 
him  ! " 

"  Really,"  cried  Coconnas,  bursting  into  laughter,  "  not 
kill  him  !  What  did  he  mean,  then,  to  do  with  me,  with 
his  sword  and  pistol  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  said  Mercandon,  clasping  his  hands,  "  I  have  at 
home  your  father's  undertaking,  I  will  return  it  to  you — 
I  have  ten  thousand  crowns  of  gold,  I  will  give  them  to 
you — I  have  the  jewels  of  our  family,  they  shall  be  yours  ; 
but  do  not  kill  him  ! — do  not  kill  him  ! " 

"  And  I  have  my  love,"  said  the  lady  in  the  H6tel  de 
Guise,  in  a  low  tone,  "and  I  promise  it  you." 

Coconnas  reflected  a  moment,  and  said  suddenly  : 

"  Are  you  a  Huguenot  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  murmured  the  youth. 

* '  Then  you  must  die  ! "  replied  Coconnas,  frowning, 
and  putting  to  his  adversary's  breast  his  keen  and  glitter- 
ing dagger. 

"  Die  !  "  cried  the  old  man  ;  "  my  poor  child,  die  !" 

And  the  shriek  of  the  mother  resounded  so  piercingly 
and  loud,  that  for  a  moment  it  shook  the  firm  resolution 
of  the  Piedmontese. 

ei  Oh,  madame  la  duchesse  ! "  cried  the  father  turning 
towards  the  lady  at  the  H6tel  de  Guise,  "  intercede  for 
us,  and  every  morning  and  evening  you  shall  be  remem- 
bered in  our  prayers." 

"  Then  let  him  be  a  convert,"  said  the  lady. 

' f  I  am  a  Protestant,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Then  die  ! "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  lifting  his  dagger  ; 
"  die  !  since  you  will  not  accept  the  life  which  that  lovely 
mouth  offers  to  you."  Mercandou  and  his  wife  saw  the 
blade  of  that  deadly  weapon  gleam  like  lightning  above 
the  head  of  their  son. 

"  My  son  Olivier,"  shrieked  his  mother,  "  abjure,  ab- 
jure!" 

"  Abjure,  my  dear  boy  1 "  cried  Mercandon,  going  on 
7 


98  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIB. 

his  knees  to  Coconnas  ;  "  do  not  leave  us  alone  on  the 
earth!" 

"Abjure  altogether,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  for  one  Credo, 
three  souls  and  one  life." 

"  I  will  !  "  said  the  youth. 

"  We  will  !  "  cried  Mercandon  and  his  wife. 

"  On  your  knees  then,"  said  Coconnas,  "  and  let  your 
son  repeat  after  me,  word  for  word,  the  prayer  I  shall 
say." 

The  father  obeyed  first. 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  the  son,  also  kneeling. 

Coconnas  then  began  to  repeat  in  Latin  the  words  of  the 
Credo.  But  whether  from  chance  or  calculation,  young 
Olivier  knelt  close  to  where  his  sword  had  fallen.  Scarcely 
did  he  see  this  weapon  within  his  reach,  than,  not  ceasing 
to  repeat  the  words  which  Coconnas  dictated,  he  stretched 
out  his  hand  to  take  it  up.  Coconnas  watched  the  move- 
ment, although  he  pretended  not  to  see  it ;  but  at  the 
moment  when  the  young  man  touched  the  handle  of  the 
sword  with  his  fingers,  he  rushed  on  him,  knocked  him 
over,  and  plunged  his  dagger  in  his  throat,  exclaiming  : 

"  Traitor  ! » 

The  youth  uttered  one  cry,  raised  himself  convulsively 
on  his  knee,  and  fell  dead. 

"  Ah,  ruffian  !  "  shrieked  Mercandon,  "  you  slay  us  to 
rob  us  of  the  hundred  rose  nobles  you  owe  us." 

"  Ma  foi  I  no,"  said  Coconnas,  "  and  here's  the  proof ;  " 
and  so  saying,  he  threw  at  the  old  man's  feet  the  purse 
which  his  father  had  given  him  before  his  departure  to 
pay  his  creditor. 

"  And  here's  your  death  ! "  cried  the  old  woman  from 
the  window. 

"  Take  care,  M.  de  Coconnas — take  care  !  "  called  out 
the  lady  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise. 

But  before  Coconnas  could  turn  his  head  to  comply 
with  this  advice,  or  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  threat,  a 
heavy  mass  came  hissing  through  the  air,  falling  on  the 
hat  of  the  Piedmontese,  breaking  his  sword,  and  prostrat- 
ing him  on  the  pavement  :  he  was  overcome,  crushed,  so 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  99 

that  he  did  not  hear  the  double  cry  of  joy  and  distress 
which  came  from  the  right  and  left. 

Mercandon  instantly  rushed  dagger  in  hand  on  Cocon- 
nas,  bereft  of  sense  ;  but  at  this  moment  the  door  of  the 
Hotel  de  Guise  opened,  and  the  old  man,  seeing  swords 
and  partisans  gleaming,  fled,  whilst  the  lady  he  had  called 
the  duchess,  whose  beauty  seemed  terrible  by  the  light  of 
the  flames,  all  dazzling  as  she  was  with  gems  and  diamonds, 
leaned  half  out  of  the  window,  in  order  to  direct  the  new- 
comers, her  arm  extended  towards  Coconnas. 

"  There  !  there  !  in  front  of  me — a  gentleman  in  a  red 
doublet.  There  I — that  is  he — yes,  that  is  he." 


CHAPTEE  X. 

DEATH,  MASS,  OE  THE  BASTILLE. 

MARGUERITE,  as  we  have  said,  had  shut  the  door,  and 
returned  to  her  chamber.  But  as  she  entered,  all  breath- 
less, she  saw  Gillonne,  who,  terror-struck,  was  leaning 
against  the  door  of  the  cabinet,  gazing  on  the  traces  of 
blood  on  the  bed,  the  furniture,  and  the  carpet. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  she  exclaimed,  "  is  he  then  dead  ?  " 

"  Silence,  Gillonne  !  "  and  Gillonne  was  silent. 

Marguerite  then  took  from  her  gypsire  a  small  gold  key, 
opened  the  door  of  the  cabinet,  and  pointed  to  the  young 
man. 

La  Mole  had  succeeded  in  raising  himself,  and  going 
towards  the  window  ;  a  small  poniard,  such  as  females  of 
the  period  wore,  was  in  his  hand. 

' '  Fear  nothing,  sir,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  for,  on  my  soul, 
you  are  in  safety  ! " 

La  Mole  sank  on  his  knees. 

"  Oh,  madame,"  he  cried,  "you  are  more  than  a  queen 
—yon  are  a  divinity  ?  " 

"Do  not  agitate  yourself,  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "your 


100  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

blood  flows  still.  Oh,  look,  Gillonne,  how  pale  he  is  1 
Let  us  see  where  you  are  wounded." 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  trying  to  fix  on  certain  parts 
of  his  body  the  pain  which  pervaded  his  whole  frame,  "  I 
think  I  have  a  dagger-thrust  in  my  shoulder,  another  in 
my  chest — the  other  wounds  are  mere  trifles." 

"  We  will  see,"  said  Marguerite.  "  Gillonne,  bring  me 
my  casket  with  the  balms  in  it." 

Gillonne  obeyed,  and  returned,  holding  in  one  hand  a 
casket,  and  in  the  other  a  silver  basin  and  some  fine  Hol- 
land linen. 

"  Help  me  to  rouse  him,  Gillonne/'  said  Queen  Mar- 
guerite ;  "for  in  attempting  to  rouse  himself  the  poor 
gentleman  has  lost  all  his  strength." 

"Oh  !"  cried  La  Mole,  "I  would  rather  die  than  see 
you,  the  queen,  stain  your  hands  with  blood  as  unworthy 
as  mine.  Oh,  never,  never  ! " 

"  Your  blood,  sir,"  replied  Gillonne,  with  a  smile, 
"has  already  stained  the  bed  and  apartments  of  her 
majesty." 

Marguerite  folded  her  mantle  over  her  cambric  dressing- 
gown,  all  bespattered  with  small  red  spots. 

"  Madame,"  stammered  La  Mole,  "  can  you  not  leave 
me  to  the  care  of  the  surgeon  ?  " 

"  Of  a  Catholic  surgeon,  perhaps,"  said  the  queen,  with 
an  expression  which  La  Mole  comprehended,  and  which 
made  him  shudder. 

"  Come,  Gillonne,  let  us  to  work  !  " 

La  Mole  again  endeavored  to  resist,  and  repeated  that 
he  would  rather  die  than  occasion  the  queen  labor,  which, 
though  begun  in  pity,  must  end  in  disgust ;  but  this  ex- 
ertion completely  exhausted  his  strength,  and  falling  back, 
he  fainted  a  second  time. 

Marguerite,  then  seizing  the  poniard  which  he  had 
dropped,  quickly  cut  the  lace  of  his  doublet ;  whilst  Gil- 
lonne, with  another  blade,  ripped  open  the  sleeves. 

Next,  Gillonne,  with  a  cloth  dipped  in  fresh  water, 
stanched  the  blood  which  escaped  from  his  shoulder  and 
breast,  and  Marguerite  with  a  silver  needle  with  a  round 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  101 

point,  probed  the  wounds  with  all  the  delicacy  and  skill 
that  Ambroise  Pare  could  have  displayed. 

"  A  dangerous,  but  not  mortal  wound,  acerrimum 
humeri  vulnus,  non  autem  lethale,"  murmured  the  lovely 
and  learned  lady-surgeon;  "hand  me  the  salve,  Gil- 
lonne,  and  get  the  lint  ready." 

Gillonne  had  already  dried  and  perfumed  the  young 
man's  chest  and  arms,  modeled  on  the  antique,  as  well  as 
his  shoulders,  which  fell  gracefully  back  ;  his  neck  shaded 
by  thick  hair,  and  which  seemed  rather  to  belong  to  a 
statue  of  Paros,  than  the  mangled  frame  of  a  dying  man. 

"  Poor  young  man  !  "  murmured  Gillonne. 

"Is  he  not  handsome?"  said  Marguerite,  with  royal 
frankness. 

"Yes,  madame  ;  but  I  think  we  should  lift  him  on  the 
bed." 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  "  you  are  right :  "  and  the  two 
women,  uniting  their  strength,  raised  La  Mole,  and  de- 
posited him  on  a  kind  of  large  sofa  in  front  of  the  win- 
dow, which  they  partly  opened. 

This  movement  aroused  La  Mole,  who  heaved  a  sigh  ; 
and  opening  his  eyes,  began  to  find  that  delightful  sensa- 
tion which  accompanies  every  healing  application  to  a 
wounded  man,  when,  on  his  return  to  consciousness,  he 
finds  freshness  instead  of  burning  heat,  and  the  per- 
fumes of  new  applications  instead  of  the  noisome  odor  of 
blood. 

He  muttered  some  unconnected  words,  to  which  Mar- 
guerite replied  by  a  smile,  placing  her  finger  on  her  month. 

At  this  moment  several  blows  were  struck  at  the  door. 

"  Some  one  knocks  at  the  secret  passage,"  said  Mar- 
guerite ;  "I  will  go  and  see  who  it  is.  Do  you  remain 
here,  and  do  not  leave  him  for  a  single  moment." 

Marguerite  went  into  the  chamber,  and  closing  the  door 
of  the  cabinet,  opened  that  of  the  passage  which  led  to  the 
king's  and  queen-mother's  apartments. 

"  Madame  de  Sauve  ! "  she  exclaimed,  retreating  sud- 
denly, and  with  an  expression  which  resembled  hatred,  if 
not  terror  :  so  true  it  is  that  a  woman  never  forgives 


102  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

another  for  carrying  off  from  her  even  a  man  whom  she 
does  not  love  :  "  Madame  de  Sauve  1 " 

"  Yes,  your  majesty  1 "  she  replied,  clasping  her  hands. 

"You  here,  madame?"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  more 
and  more  surprised,  and  at  the  same  time  more  and  more 
imperative. 

Charlotte  fell  on  her  knees. 

"Madame,"  she  said,  "pardon  me  !  I  know  how  guilty 
I  am  towards  you  ;  but  if  you  knew — the  fault  is  not  wholly 
mine  ;  an  express  command  of  the  queen-mother " 

"  Else  !  "  said  Marguerite,  "  and  as  I  do  not  suppose  you 
have  come  with  the  intention  of  justifying  yourself  to  me, 
tell  me  why  you  have  come  at  all  ?" 

"  I  have  come,  madame,"  said  Charlotte,  still  on  her 
knees,  and  with  a  look  of  wild  alarm,  "  I  came  to  ask  you 
if  he  were  not  here  ?  " 

"  Here  I  who  ? — of  whom  are  you  speaking,  madame  ? 
for  I  really  do  not  understand." 

"  Of  the  king  1 " 

"  Of  the  king  ?  What,  do  you  follow  him  to  my  apart- 
ments ?  You  know  very  well  that  he  never  comes  hither." 

"Ah,  madame!"  continued  the  Baroness  de  Sauve, 
without  replying  to  these  attacks,  or  even  seeming  to  com- 
prehend them,  "ah,  would  to  Heaven  he  were  here  1 " 

"  And  wherefore  ?" 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu  !  madame,  because  they  are  murdering 
the  Huguenots,  and  the  King  of  Navarre  is  the  chief  of 
the  Huguenots.  '* 

"  Oh  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  seizing  Madame  de  Sauve 
by  the  hand,  and  compelling  her  to  rise  ;  "  ah  I  I  had 
forgotten  !  Besides,  I  did  not  think  a  king  could  run  the 
same  dangers  as  other  men." 

"  More,  madame — a  thousand  times  more  1"  cried  Char- 
lotte. 

"  In  fact,  Madame  de  Lorraine  had  warned  me  ;  I  had 
begged  him  not  to  leave  the  Louvre.  Has  he  done  so  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  he  is  in  the  Louvre ;  but  if  he  is  not 
here * 

"He  is  not 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  103 

"  Oh  ! "  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  a  burst  of  agony, 
"then  he  is  a  dead  man,  for  the  queen-mother  has  sworn 
his  destruction  1 " 

"  His  destruction  I  ah,"  said  Marguerite,  "you  terrify 
me — impossible  ! " 

<(  Madame/'  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  with  that  energy 
which  passion  alone  can  give,  "  I  tell  you  that  no  one 
knows  where  the  King  of  Navarre  is." 

61  And  where  is  the  queen-mother  ?  " 

"  The  queen-mother  sent  me  to  seek  M.  de  Guise  and 
M.  de  Tavannes,  who  were  in  her  oratory,  and  then  dis- 
missed me." 

"  And  my  husband  has  not  been  in  your  apartment  ?  " 
inquired  Marguerite. 

"  He  has  not,  madame.  I  have  sought  him  everywhere, 
and  asked  everybody  for  him.  One  soldier  told  me  he 
thought  he  had  seen  him  in  the  midst  of  the  guards  who 
accompanied  him,  with  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  some 
time  before  the  massacre  begun,  and  the  massacre  has 
begun  this  hour.'* 

"Thanks,  madame,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  and  although 
perhaps  the  sentiment  which  impels  you  is  an  additional 
offense  towards  me, — yet,  again,  thanks  !  " 

"Oh,  forgive  me,  madame!"  she  said,  "and  I  shall 
return  to  my  apartments  more  fortified  by  your  pardon,  for 
I  dare  not  follow  you,  even  at  a  distance." 

Marguerite  extended  her  hand  to  her. 

"  I  will  seek  Queen  Catherine,"  she  said,  "  and  return 
to  you.  The  King  of  .Navarre  is  under  my  safeguard  ;  I 
'have  promised  him  my  alliance,  and  I  will  be  faithful  to 
my  promise." 

"  But  suppose  you  cannot  obtain  access  to  the  queen- 
mother,  madame  ?  " 

"  Then  I  will  go  to  my  brother  Charles,  and  I  will  speak 
to  him." 

"  Go,  madame,  go,"  said  Charlotte,  "  and  may  God  guide 
your  majesty  I " 

Marguerite  passed  quickly  along  the  passage,  and  Ma- 
dame de  Sauve  followed  her. 


104  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  saw  her  turn  to  her  own  apart- 
ment, and  then  went  herself  towards  the  queen's  chamber. 

All  was  changed  here.  Instead  of  the  crowd  of  eager 
courtiers,  who  usually  opened  their  ranks  before  the  queen 
and  respectfully  saluted  her,  Marguerite  met  only  guards 
with  red  partisans  and  garments  stained  with  blood,  or 
gentlemen  in  torn  mantles — their  faces  blackened  with 
powder,  bearing  orders  and  despatches, — some  going  in, 
others  going  out,  and  all  these  entrances  and  exits  made  a 
terrible  and  immense  confusion  in  the  galleries. 

Marguerite,  however,  went  boldly  on  until  she  reached 
the  antechamber  of  the  queen-mother,  which  was  guarded 
by  a  double  file  of  soldiers,  who  only  allowed  those  to  enter 
who  had  the  proper  countersign.  Marguerite  in  vain 
tried  to  pass  this  living  barrier  :  several  times  she  saw  the 
door  open  and  shut,  and  at  each  time  she  saw  Catherine 
moving  and  excited,  as  if  she  were  only  twenty  years  of 
age,  writing,  receiving  letters,  opening  them,  addressing 
a  word  to  one,  a  smile  to  another  ;  and  those  on  whom  she 
smiled  most  graciously,  were  those  who  were  the  most 
covered  with  dust  and  blood. 

Without  the  walls  was  heard,  from  time  to  time,  the 
report  of  fire-arms. 

"  I  shall  never  reach  him  ! "  said  Marguerite,  after  hav- 
ing made  several  vain  attempts  to  pass  the  soldiers. 

At  this  moment,  M.  de  Guise  passed  :  he  had  come  to 
inform  the  queen  of  the  murder  of  the  admiral,  and  was 
returning  to  the  butchery. 

"  Oh,  Henri !  "  cried  Marguerite,  "  where  is  the  King 
of  Navarre  ?  " 

The  duke  looked  at  her  with  a  smile  of  astonishment, 
bowed,  and,  without  any  reply,  passed  on. 

"  Ah,  my  dear  ReneV'  said  the  queen,  recognizing  Cath- 
erine's perfumer,  "  is  that  yon  ? — you  have  just  left  my 
mother.  Do  you  know  what  has  become  of  my  hus- 
band?" 

"  His  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre  is  no  friend  of  mine, 
madame — that  you  know  very  well.  It  is  even  said,"  he 
added,  with  a  horrid  smile — "  it  is  even  said,  that  he  yen- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  105 

tnres  to  accuse  me  of  having  been  the  accomplice,  with 
Queen  Catherine,  in  poisoning  his  mother." 

"  No,  no  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  "  my  good  Rene,  do  not 
believe  that ! " 

"Oh,  it  is  of  little  consequence,  madame  !"  said  the 
perfumer ;  "  neither  the  King  of  Navarre  nor  his  party 
are  any  longer  to  be  feared  !  " 

And  he  turned  his  back  on  Marguerite. 

"  Ah,  Monsieur  de  Tavannes  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  "  one 
word,  I  beseech  you  ! " 

Tavannes  stopped. 

"  Where  is  Henry  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Mafoi,"  he  replied,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  I  believe  he  is 
somewhere  in  the  city  with  the  Messieurs  d'Ale^on  and 
De  Conde." 

And  then  he  added,in  a  tone  so  low  that  the  queen  alone 
could  hear  : 

"  Your  majesty,  if  you  would  see  him — to  be  in  whose 
place  I  would  give  my  life — go  to  the  king's  armory." 

"  Thanks,  Tavannes — thanks  ! "  said  Marguerite  ;  "  I 
will  go  there." 

And  she  went  on  her  way  thither,  murmuring  : 

"  Oh,  after  all  I  promised  him — after  the  way  in  which 
he  behaved  to  me  when  that  ingrate,  Henri  de  Guise,  was 
concealed  in  the  closet — I  cannot  let  him  perish  !  " 

And  she  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  king's  apartments ; 
but  they  were  begirt  within  by  two  companies  of  guards. 

"  No  one  is  admitted  to  the  king,"  said  the  officer,  com- 
ing forward. 

"  But  I "  said  Marguerite. 

"  The  order  is  general." 

"  I,  the  Queen  of  Navarre  ! — I,  his  sister  1 " 

"  I  dare  make  no  exception,  madame." 

And  the  officer  closed  the  door. 

"  He  is  lost ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  alarmed  at  the 
sight  of  all  the  sinister  countenances  she  had  seen.  "  Yes, 
yes  1  I  comprehend  all.  I  have  been  used  as  a  bait.  I  am 
the  snare  which  has  entrapped  the  Huguenots  :  but  I  will 
enter,  if  I  should  be  killed  in  the  attempt !  " 


106  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

And  Marguerite  ran  like  a  mad  creature  through  the 
corridors  and  galleries,  when  suddenly,  whilst  passing  by 
a  small  door,  she  heard  a  low  chanting,  almost  as  melan- 
choly as  it  was  monotonous.  It  was  a  Calvinistic  psalm, 
sung  by  a  trembling  voice  in  an  adjacent  chamber. 

"  The  nurse  of  my  brother  the  king — the  good  Madelon 
— it  is  she  !"  exclaimed  Marguerite.  "God  of  the  Chris- 
tians, aid  me  now  !  " 

And,  full  of  hope,  Marguerite  knocked  at  the  little 
door. 

Soon  after  the  counsel  which  Marguerite  had  conveyed 
to  him,  after  his  conversation  with  Kene,  and  after  quit- 
ting the  queen-mother's  chamber,  poor  Phoebe,  like  a 
good  genius,  opposing,  Henry  of  Navarre  had  met  some 
worthy  Catholic  gentlemen,  who,  under  a  pretext  of  doing 
him  honor,  had  escorted  him  to  his  apartments,  where  a 
score  of  Huguenots  awaited  him,  who  had  rallied  round 
the  young  prince,  and,  having  once  rallied,  would  not 
leave  him — so  strongly,  for  some  hours,  had  the  presenti- 
ment of  that  night  weighed  on  the  Louvre.  They  had  re- 
mained there,  without  any  one  attempting  to  disturb 
them.  At  last,  at  the  first  stroke  of  the  bell  of  St.-Ger- 
main-FAuxerrois,  which  resounded  through  all  hearts  like 
a  funeral  knell,  Tavannes  entered,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
a  deathlike  silence,  announced  that  King  Charles  IX. 
desired  to  speak  to  Henry. 

It  was  useless  to  attempt  resistance,  and  no  one  thought 
of  it.  They  had  heard  the  ceilings,  galleries,  and  cor- 
ridors crack  beneath  the  feet  of  the  assembled  soldiers, 
who  were  in  the  courtyards,  as  well  as  in  the  apartments, 
to  the  number  of  two  thousand.  Henry,  after  having 
taken  leave  of  his  friends,  whom  he  might  never  again 
see,  followed  Tavannes,  who  led  him  to  a  small  gallery 
contiguous  to  the  king's  apartments,  where  he  left  him 
alone,  unarmed,  and  a  prey  to  mistrust. 

The  King  of  Navarre  counted  here  alone,  minute  by 
minute,  two  mortal  hours ;  listening,  with  increasing 
alarm,  to  the  sound  of  the  tocsin  and  the  discharge  of  fire- 
arms i  seeing  through  a  small  window,  by  the  light  of  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  107 

flames  and  flambeaux,  the  victims  and  their  assassins  pass ; 
understanding  nothing  of  these  shrieks  of  murder — these 
cries  of  distress — not  even  suspecting,  in  spite  of  'his 
knowledge  of  Chzrles  IX.,  the  queen  mother,  and  the 
Duke  de  Guise,  the  horrible  drama  at  this  moment 
enacting. 

Henry  had  not  physical  courage,  but  he  had  better  than 
that — he  had  moral  fortitude.  Fearing  danger,  he  yet 
smiled  at  and  faced  it ;  but  it  was  danger  in  the  field  of 
battle — danger  in  the  open  air — danger  in  the  eyes  of  all, 
and  attended  by  the  noisy  harmony  of  trumpets  and  the 
loud  and  vibrating  beat  of  drums, — but  now  he  was  with- 
out arms,  shut  up,  immured  in  obscurity  which  was 
scarcely  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  see  the  enemy  who 
might  glide  towards  him,  and  the  weapon  that  might  be 
raised  to  strike  him. 

These  two  hours  were,  perhaps,  the  most  agonizing  of 
his  life. 

In  the  hottest  of  the  tumult,  and  as  Henry  was  begin- 
ning to  comprehend  that,  in  all  probability,  this  was  some 
organized  massacre,  a  captain  came  to  him,  desiring  the 
prince  to  follow  him  to  the  king.  As  they  approached,  the 
door  opened,  and  closed  when  they  entered.  The  captain 
then  led  Henry  to  the  king,  who  was  in  his  armory. 
When  they  entered,  the  king  was  seated  .in  an  armchair, 
his  two  hands  placed  on  the  two  arms  of  the  seat,  and  his 
head  falling  on  his  bosom.  As  they  entered,  Charles 
looked  up,  and  on  his  brow  Henry  observed  the  perspira- 
tion dropping  from  it  like  large  beads. 

"Good  evening,  Harry,"  said  the  king,  roughly.  "La 
Chastre,  leave  us." 

The  captain  retired,  and  a  profound  silence  ensued. 
Henry  looked  around  him  with  uneasiness,  and  saw  that 
he  was  alone  with  the  king.  Charles  suddenly  arose. 

"  Mordieu  !  "  said  he,  passing  his  hands  through  his 
light  brown  hair,  and  wiping  his  brow  at  the  same  time, 
"  you  are  glad  to  be  with  me,  are  not  you,  Harry  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sire,"  replied  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  I  am 
always  happy  to  be  with  your  majesty." 


108  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Happier  than  if  you  were  down  there,  eh  ?  "  continued 
Charles,  following  his  own  thoughts,  rather  than  replying 
to  Henry's  compliment. 

"  I  do  not  understand,  sire,"  replied  Henry. 

'  Look  out,  then,  and  you  will  soon  understand." 

And  with  a  quick  gesture,  Charles  moved,  or  rather 
sprung  towards  the  window,  and  drawing  his  brother-in- 
law  towards  him,  who  became  more  and  more  alarmed,  he 
pointed  to  him  the  horrible  outlines  of  the  assassins,  who, 
on  the  deck  of  a  boat,  were  cutting  the  throats  or  drown- 
ing the  victims  brought  them  at  every  moment. 

"  In  the  name  of  Heaven  ! "  cried  Henry,  "  what  is 
going  on  to-night  ?" 

"To-night,  sir,"  replied  Charles  IX.,  "they  are  rid- 
ding me  of  all  the  Huguenots.  Look  down  there,  over  the 
Hotel  de  Bourbon,  at  the  smoke  and  flames  :  they  are  the 
smoke  and  flames  of  the  admiral's  house,  which  has  been 
fired.  Do  you  see  that  body,  which  these  good  Catholics 
are  drawing  on  a  torn  mattress — it  is  the  corpse  of  the 
admiral's  son-in-law — the  carcass  of  your  friend,  Teligny." 

"  What  means  this  ?"  cried  the  King  of  Navarre,  seek- 
ing vainly  by  his  side  for  the  hilt  of  his  dagger,  and  trem- 
bling equally  with  shame  and  auger  ;  for  he  felt  that  he 
was,  at  the  same  time,  laughed  at  and  menaced. 

"It  means,"  cried  Charles  IX.,  furious,  and  turning 
palo  with  intense  rage,  "that  I  will  no  longer  have  any 
Huguenots  about  me.  Do  you  hear  me,  Henry  ? — Am  I 
king  ?  am  I  master  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty " 

"  My  majesty  kills  and  massacres  at  this  moment  all 
that  is  not  Catholic,  at  my  pleasure.  Are  you  Catholic  ?" 
exclaimed  Charles,  whose  anger  rose  like  an  excited  sea. 

"Sire,"  replied  Henry,  "do  you  remember  your  own 
words,  c  What  matters  the  religion  of  those  who  serve  me 
well!'" 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  ah  ! "  cried  Charles,  bursting  into  a  ferocious 
laugh  ;  "you  ask  me  if  I  remember  my  words,  Henry  ! 
'  Verba  volant,'  as  my  sister  Margot  says  ;  and  had  not  all 
those" — and  he  pointed  to  the  city  with  his  finger — 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  109 

fe  served  me  well,  also  ?  Were  they  not  brave  in  battle, 
wise  in  council,  deeply  devoted  ?  They  were  all  useful 
subjects — but  they  were  Huguenots,  and  I  want  none  but 
Catholics. " 

Henry  remained  silent. 

"  Well  !  do  you  understand  me  now,  Harry  ? "  asked 
Charles. 

"I  understand,  sire." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  Well,  sire  !  I  do  not  see  why  the  King  of  Navarre 
should  not  do  what  so  many  gentlemen  and  poor  folk  have 
done.  For  if  they  all  die,  poor  unfortunates,  it  is  because 
the  same  terms  have  been  proposed  to  them  which  your 
majesty  proposes  to  me,  and  they  have  refused,  as  I  refuse." 

Charles  seized  the  arm  of  the  young  prince,  and  fixed 
on  him  a  look  whose  vacancy  suddenly  changed  into  a 
fierce  and  savage  scowl. 

"  What  ! "  he  said,  ' '  do  you  believe  that  I  have  taken 
the  trouble  to  offer  the  alternative  of  the  mass  to  those 
whose  throats  are  being  cut  down  there  ?" 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  disengaging  his  arm,  "  will  you 
not  die  in  the  religion  of  your  fathers  ?" 

"  Yes,  mordieu  !  and  thou  ?  " 

"  Well,  sire,  I  will  do  the  same  !  "  replied  Henry. 

Charles  uttered  a  cry  of  fierce  rage,  and  seized  with 
trembling  hand  his  arqnebuss  placed  on  the  table.  Henry, 
who,  leaning  against  the  tapestry,  with  the  perspiration 
streaming  from  his  brow,  was  yet,  owing  to  his  presence 
of  mind,  calm  to  all  appearance,  followed  with  the  anxious 
amaze  of  a  bird  fascinated  by  a  serpent  every  movement 
of  the  terrible  king. 

Charles  cocked  his  arquebuss,  and  striking  his  foot  with 
blind  rage,  cried,  as  he  dazzled  Henry's  eyes  with  the 
polished  barrel  of  the  brandished  weapon,  "  Will  you  ac- 
cept the  mass  ?  " 

Henry  remained  mute. 

Charles  IX.  shook  the  vaults  of  the  Louvre  with  the 
most  terrible  oath  that  ever  issued  from  the  lips  of  man, 
and  grew  more  livid  than  before. 


HO  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Death,  mass,  or  the  bastille  ! "  he  cried,  taking  aim 
at  the  King  of  Navarre. 

"  Oh,  sire  !  "  exclaimed  Henry,  "  will  you  kill  me— me, 
your  brother-in-law  ?  " 

Henry  thus  eluded,  by  his  incomparable  presence  of 
mind,  which  was  one  of  the  strongest  faculties  of  his  or- 
ganization, the  answer  which  the  king  demanded,  for 
doubtless  had  this  reply  been  in  the  negative,  Henry  had 
been  a  dead  man. 

As  immediately  after  the  last  paroxysms  of  rage,  there 
is  always  the  commencement  of  reaction,  Charles  IX.  did 
not  repeat  the  question  he  had  addressed  to  the  Prince  of 
Navarre  ;  and,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  during  which 
he  uttered  a  hoarse  kind  of  growl,  he  turned  towards  the 
open  window,  and  aimed  at  a  man  who  was  miming  along 
the  quay  in  front. 

"  I  must  kill  some  one  I"  cried  Charles  IX.,  ghastly  as 
a  corpse,  his  eyes  injected  with  blood  ;  and  firing  as  he 
spoke,  he  struck  the  man  who  was  running. 

Henry  uttered  a  groan. 

Then,  animated  by  a  frightful  ardor,  Charles  loaded  and 
fired  his  arquebuss  without  cessation,  uttering  cries  of  joy 
every  time  his  aim  was  successful. 

"  It  is  all  over  with  me  ! "  said  the  King  of  Navarre  to 
himself  ;  "  when  he  sees  no  one  else  to  kill,  he  will  kill 
me!" 

"  Well  ! "  said  a  voice  behind  the  princes,  suddenly, 
"  is  it  done  ?  " 

It  was  Catherine  de  Medicis,  who  had  entered  as  the 
king  fired  his  last  shot. 

"  No,  thousand  thunders  !"  said  the  king,  throwing  his 
arquebuss  on  the  floor.  "  No,  the  obstinate  blockhead 
will  not  consent  ! " 

Catherine  made  no  reply.  She  turned  slowly  towards 
the  part  of  the  chamber  in  which  Henry  was,  as  motion- 
less as  one  of  the  figures  of  the  tapestry  against  which  he 
was  leaning.  She  then  gave  a  glance  to  the  king,  which 
seemed  to  say  : 

"  Then,  why  is  he  alive  ?J' 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  HI 

"  He  lives,  he  lives  !  "  murmured  Charles  IX,  who  per- 
fectly understood  the  glance,  and  replied  to  it  without 
hesitation — "  he  lives,  because  he  is  my  relative/* 

Catherine  smiled. 

Henry  saw  the  smile,  and  felt  then  assured  that  it  was 
with  Catherine  he  must  struggle. 

"  Madame/'  he  said  to  her,  "all  comes  from  you,  I  see 
very  well,  and  nothing  from  my  brother-in-law,  Charles. 
You  have  laid  the  plan  for  drawing  me  into  a  snare.  It 
was  you  who  made  your  daughter  the  bait  which  was  to 
destroy  us  all.  It  has  been  you  who  has  separated  me  from 
my  wife,  that  she  might  not  see  me  killed  before  her 
eyes." 

"  Yes,  but  that  shall  not  be ! "  cried  another  voice, 
breathless  and  impassioned,  which  Henry  recognized  in  an 
instant,  and  made  Charles  start  with  surprise,  and  Cath- 
erine with  rage. 

"  Marguerite  1 "  exclaimed  Henry. 

"  Margot !  "  said  Charles  IX. 

"  My  daughter  !  "  muttered  Catherine. 

"  Sir/'  said  Marguerite  to  Henry,  "  your  last  words 
were  an  accusation  against  me,  and  you  were  both  right 
and  wrong.  Kight,  for  I  am  the  means  by  which  they 
attempted  to  destroy  you  :  wrong,  for  I  did  not  know 
that  you  were  going  towards  destruction.  I  myself,  sir, 
owe  my  life  to  chance — to  my  mother's  not  thinking  of 
me,  perhaps  ;  but  as  soon  as  I  learned  your  danger  I 
remembered  my  duty,  and  a  wife's  duty  is  to  share  the 
fortunes  of  her  husband.  If  you  are  exiled,  sir,  I  will  be 
exiled  too  ;  if  they  imprison  you,  I  will  be  your  fellow- 
captive  ;  if  they  kill  you,  I  will  also  die." 

And  she  extended  her  hand  to  her  husband,  which  he 
eagerly  seized,  if  not  with  love,  at  least  with  gratitude. 

"  Oh,  my  poor  Margot  !  "  said  Charles,  "you  had  much 
better  desire  him  to  become  a  Catholic  ! " 

"  Sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  with  that  lofty  dignity 
which  was  so  natural  to  her,  "  for  your  own  sake,  do  not 
ask  any  prince  of  your  house  to  commit  a  base  action." 

Catherine  darted  a  significant  glance  at  Charles. 


112  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Brother/'  cried  Marguerite,  who,  as  well  as  Charles 
IX.,  understood  the  terrible  dumb-show  of  Catherine, 
"  remember,  you  made  him  my  husband  1 " 

Charles  was  for  a  time  stupefied  between  the  imperative 
look  of  Catherine  and  the  supplicating  regard  of  Margue- 
rite, but  after  a  pause,  he  said  in  a  whisper  to  Catherine  : 

"  Faith,  madame,  Margot  is  right,  and  Harry  is  my 
brother-in-law. " 

"Yes,"  was  Catherine's  reply,  in  a  similar  whisper  to 
her  son  ;  "  yes,  but  if  he  were  not " 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

THE    HAWTHORN    OF  THE    CEMETEKY    OF  THE  INNOCENTS. 

WHEN  she  had  reached  her  own  apartments,  Marguerite 
vainly  endeavored  to  divine  the  words  which  Catherine  de 
Medicis  had  whispered  to  Charles  IX.,  and  which  had  cut 
short  the  terrible  interview  on  which  hung  life  and 
death. 

A  part  of  the  morning  was  employed  by  her  in  attend- 
ing to  La  Mole,  and  the  other  in  trying  to  guess  the 
enigma,  which  her  mind  could  not  discover. 

The  King  of  Navarre  remained  a  prisoner  in  the  Louvre, 
whilst  the  pursuit  of  the  Huguenots  was  hotter  than  ?yer. 
To  the  terrible  night  had  succeeded  a  day  of  massacre 
still  more  horrible.  It  was  no  longer  the  tocsin  and  bells 
that  sounded,  but  the  Te  Deum,  and  the  echoes  of  this 
joyous  anthem,  resounding  in  the  midst  of  fire  and 
slaughter,  were  perhaps  more  sad  by  the  light  of  the  sun 
than  had  been  the  knell  of  the  previous  night  sounding  in 
darkness.  This  was  not  all.  Strange  to  say,  a  hawthorn- 
tree,  which  had  blossomed  in  the  spring,  and  which,  ac- 
cording to  custom,  had  lost  its  odorous  flowers  in  the 
month  of  June,  had  reblossomed  during  the  night,  and 
the  Catholics,  who  saw  in  this  even  a  miracle,  and  who  by 
rendering  tkis  miracle  popular  made  the  Deity  their 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  113 

accomplice,  went  in  procession,  cross  and  banner  at  their 
head,  to  the  Cemetery  of  the  Innocents,  where  this  haw- 
thorn was  blooming.  This  kind  of  assent  from  Heaven 
had  redoubled  the  efforts  of  the  assassins,  and  whilst  the 
city  continued  to  present  in  each  street  and  thoroughfare 
a  scene  of  desolation,  the  Louvre  had  become  the  common 
tomb  for  all  Protestants  who  had  been  shut  up  there  when 
the  signal  was  given.  The  King  of  Navarre,  the  Prince 
de  Conde,  and  la  Mole,  were  the  only  survivors. 

Assured  as  to  La  Mole,  whose  wounds  were  progressing 
well,  Marguerite  was  occupied  now  with  one  sole  idea, 
which  was  to  save  her  husband's  life,  so  pertinaciously 
threatened.  No  doubt,  the  first  sentiment  which  actuated 
the  wife  was  one  of  generous  pity  for  a  man  for  whom, 
as  for  the  Bearnais,  she  had  sworn,  if  not  love,  at  least 
alliance;  but  there  was,  beside,  another  less  pure  senti- 
ment which  had  penetrated  the  queen's  heart. 

Marguerite  was  ambitious,  and  had  foreseen  almost  the 
certainty  of  royalty  in  her  marriage  with  Henry  de  Bour- 
bon, and  if  she  lost  him,  it  was  not  only  a  husband,  but  a 
throne  she  lost. 

Whilst  wrapped  in  her  reflections,  she  heard  a  knock  at 
the  secret  door.  She  started  ;  for  three  persons  only  came 
by  that  door — the  king,  the  queen-mother,  and  the  Duke 
d'Alengou.  She  half  opened  the  door  of  the  cabinet, 
made  a  gesture  of  silence  to  Grillonne  and  La  Mole,  and 
then  opened  the  door  to  her  visitor. 

It  was  the  Duke  d'Alenc.on.  The  young  prince  had 
disappeared  since  the  evening.  For  a  moment,  Margue- 
rite had  had  the  idea  of  claiming  his  intercession  for  the 
King  of  Navarre,  but  a  terrible  idea  restrained  her. 
The  marriage  had  taken  place  contrary  to  his  wishes. 
Francois  detested  Henry,  and  had  only  evinced  his  neutral- 
ity towards  the  Bearnais,  because  he  was  convinced  that 
Henry  and  his  wife  had  remained  strangers  to  each  other. 
Marguerite  therefore  shuddered  at  perceiving  the  young 
prince  more  than  she  had  shuddered  at  seeing  the  king,  or 
even  the  queen- mother.  D'Alen9on  was  attired  with  his 
usual  elegance.  His  clothes  and  linen  gave  forth  those 


114  MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

perfumes  which  Charles  IX.  despised,  bat  of  which  the 
Dukes  d'Anjou  and  d'Alen9on  made  continual  use. 

On  his  entrance,  he  pressed  his  pale  thin  lips  against 
the  forehead  of  his  sister.  Then,  sitting  down,  he  began 
to  relate  to  his  sister  the  bloody  particulars  of  the  night : 
the  lingering  and  terrible  death  of  the  admiral,  the  in- 
stantaneous death  of  Teligny,  pierced  by  a  ball.  He 
paused  and  emphasised  all  the  more  horrid  details  of  this 
night,  with  that  love  of  blood  peculiar  to  himself  and  his 
two  brothers  ;  and -Marguerite  did  not  interrupt  him  until 
he  had  finished. 

"  It  was  not  to  tell  me  this  only,"  she  then  said,  "  that 
you  came  hither,  brother  ?  " 

The  Duke  d'Alen9on  smiled. 

"  You  have  something  else  to  say  to  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  duke  ;  "I  am  waiting." 

"  Waiting  !  for  what  ?  " 

"Did  you  not  tell  me,  dearest  Marguerite,"  said  the 
duke,  drawing  his  chair  close  up  to  that  of  his  sister, 
"  that  this  marriage  with  the  King  of  Navarre  was  con- 
tracted against  your  will  ?  " 

"  Yes,  no  doubt.  I  did  not  know  the  Prince  of  B6arn, 
when  he  was  proposed  to  me  as  a  husband." 

"  And  after  you  knew  him,  did  you  not  say  that  you 
experienced  no  love  for  him  ?  " 

"  I  said  so,  and  it  is  true." 

"  Was  it  not  your  opinion  that  this  marriage  would 
make  you  miserable  ?  " 

"  My  dear  Fra^ois,"  said  Marguerite,  "  when  a  marriage 
is  not  extremely  happy,  it  is  always  excessively  miserable." 

"  Well,  then,  my  dear  Marguerite,  as  I  said  to  you — I 
am  waiting." 

"  But  for  what  are  you  waiting  ?  " 

"  Until  you  display  your  joy  ! " 

"  What  have  I  to  be  joyful  for  ?  " 

*'  The  unexpected  occasion  which  offers  itself  for  you 
to  resume  your  liberty." 

"My  liberty?"  replied  Marguerite,  who  was  resolved 
on  allowing  the  prince  to  disclose  all  his  thoughts. 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  H5 

"  Yes  ;  your  liberty  !  You  will  now  be  separated  from 
the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Separated  ! "  said  Marguerite,  fastening  her  eyes  on 
the  young  prince. 

The  Duke  d'Alenqon  tried  to  sustain  his  sister's  look, 
but  his  eyes  soon  sunk  with  embarrassment. 

"  Separated  !  "  repeated  Marguerite  ;  "  and  how,  bro- 
ther ?  for  I  should  like  to  comprehend  all  you  mean, 
and  by  what  method  you  propose  to  separate  us  ?" 

"  Why/' murmured  the  duke,  "  Henry  is  a  Huguenot." 

"  No  doubt ;  but  he  made  no  mystery  of  his  religion, 
and  they  knew  that  when  we  were  married." 

"  Yes  ;  but  since  your  marriage,  sister/'  asked  the 
duke,  allowing,  in  spite  of  himself,  a  ray  of  joy  to  il- 
lumine his  countenance  ;  "  what  has  been  Henry's  be- 
havior ?  " 

"  Why,  you  know  better  than  any  one,  Fra^ois,  for  he 
has  passed  his  days  almost  perpetually  in  your  society, 
sometimes  at  the  chase,  sometimes  at  mall,  sometimes  at 
tennis." 

"Yes,  his  days,  no  doubt,"  replied  the  duke;  "his 
days — but  his  nights  ?  " 

Marguerite  was  silent ;  it  was  now  her  turn  to  cast 
down  her  eyes. 

"  His  nights/'  repeated  the  Duke  d'Aleii9on,  "  his 
nights?" 

"  Well,"  inquired  Marguerite,  feeling  that  it  was  re- 
quisite that  she  should  say  something  in  reply. 

"  Well,  he  passes  them  with  Madame  de  Sauve  1  " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?"  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  I  know  it,  because  I  had  an  interest  in  knowing  it/' 
replied  the  young  prince,  picking  the  embroidery  of  his 
sleeves. 

Marguerite  began  to  understand  what  Catherine  had 
whispered  to  Charles,  but  affected  to  remain  in  igno- 
rance. 

"  Why  do  you  tell  me  this,  brother  ?  "  she  replied,  with 
a  well-affected  air  of  melancholy  ;  "  was  it  for  the  sake  of 
recalling  to  me  that  no  one  here  loves  me  or  clings  to  me, 

DUMAS — YOL.  III.— G 


116  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

not  even  those  whom  nature  has  given  to  me  as  protect- 
ors, whom  the  Church  has  given  me  as  my  spouse  ?  " 

"  You  are  unjust/'  said  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  drawing 
his  chair  still  nearer  to  his  sister,  "  I  love  you  and  pro- 
tect yon  !  " 

"  Brother/*  said  Marguerite,  looking  steadfastly  at  him, 
"  have  you  anything  to  say  to  me  on  the  part  of  the 
queen-mother  ?" 

"  I !  you  mistake,  sister.  I  swear  to  you — what  can 
make  you  think  that  ?  " 

"  What  can  make  me  think  that  ? — why,  because  you 
break  the  intimacy  that  binds  you  to  my  husband,  you 
abandon  the  cause  of  the  King  of  Navarre — an  alliance 
with  whom " 

"  Has  now  become  impossible,  sister/'  interrupted  the 
Duke  d'Alenc,on. 

"  And  wherefore  ?  " 

"  Because  the  king  has  designs  on  your  husband,  and 
dur  mother  has  seen  through  them  all.  I  allied  myself  to 
the  Huguenots,  because  I  believed  the  Huguenots  were  in 
favor  ;  but  now  they  kill  the  Huguenots,  and  in  another 
week  there  will  not  remain  fifty  in  the  whole  kingdom. 
I  held  out  my  hand  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  because  he 
was  your  husband  ;  but  now  he  is  not  your  husband,  what 
can  you  say  to  that — you,  who  are  not  only  the  loveliest 
woman  in  France,  but  have  the  clearest  head  in  the  king- 
dom ?  " 

"  Why,  I  have  to  say/'  replied  Marguerite,  "  that  I 
know  our  brother  Charles  ;  I  saw  him  yesterday  in  one  of 
those  fits  of  frenzy,  every  one  of  which  shortens  his  life 
ten  years.  I  have  to  say  that  these  attacks  are,  unfortu- 
nately, very  frequent,  and  that  thus,  in  all  probability,  our 
brother  Charles  has  not  very  long  to  live  ;  and,  finally,  I 
have  to  say  that  the  King  of  Poland  is  just  dead,  and  the 
question  of  electing  a  prince  of  the  house  of  France  in  his 
stead  is  much  discussed  ;  and  when  circumstances  are 
thus,  it  is  not  the  moment  to  abandon  allies,  who,  in  the 
moment  of  struggle,  might  support  us  with  the  strength 
of  a  nation  and  the  power  of  a  kingdom/' 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  H7 

"  And  you  ! "  exclaimed  the  duke,  "  do  you  not  act 
much  more  treasonably  to  me  in  preferring  a  stranger  to 
your  own  house  ?  " 

"  Explain  yourself,  Frai^ois  ! — in  what  have  I  acted 
treasonably  to  you  ?  " 

"You  yesterday  begged  the  life  of  the  King  of  Navarre 
from  King  Charles/' 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

The  duke  rose  hastily,  paced  round  the  chamber  twice 
or  thrice  with  a  bewildered  air. 

"  Adieu,  sister  ! "  he  said  at  last.  ' '  You  would  not 
understand  me ;  do  not,  therefore,  complain  of  whatever 
may  happen  to  you." 

Marguerite  turned  pale,  but  remained  fixed  in  her 
place.  She  saw  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  go  away,  without 
making  any  attempt  to  detain  him  ;  but  scarcely  had  he 
entered  the  corridor,  than  he  returned. 

"  Sister  Marguerite,"  he  said,  "  I  had  forgotten  one 
thing;  that  is,  that  to-morrow,  at  a  certain  hour,  the  King 
of  Navarre  will  be  dead." 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry,  for  the  idea  that  she  was  the 
instrument  of  assassination  caused  in  her  a  fear  she  could 
not  subdue. 

"  And  you  will  not  prevent  this  death,"  she  said  ;  "  you 
will  not  save  your  best  and  most  faithful  ally  ?  " 

"  Since  yesterday,  the  King  of  Navarre  is  no  longer  my 

ally." 

"  Then  who  is  ?  " 

"  M.  de  Guise.  By  destroying  the  Huguenots,  M.  de 
Guise  has  become  the  king  of  the  Catholics." 

"  And  is  it  a  son  of  Henry  II.  who  recognizes  as  his 
king  a  Duke  of  Lorraine  ?  " 

"You  will  not  see  things  in  a  right  light,  Mar- 
guerite." 

"  I  confess  that  I  seek  in  vain  to  read  your  thoughts." 

"  Sister,  you  are  of  as  good  a  house  as  the  Princess  de 
Porcian  ;  De  Guise  is  no  more  immortal  than  the  King  of 
Navarre.  Well,  Marguerite,  suppose  that  Monsieur  is 
elected  King  of  Poland  ;  well,  I  am  King  of  France,  and 


118  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

you,  my  sister,  shall  reign  with  me,  and  be  queen  of  the 
Catholics." 

Marguerite  was  overwhelmed  at  the  depth  of  the  views 
of  this  youth,  whom  no  one  at  court  even  thought  pos- 
sessed of  common  understanding. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  which  can  prevent  this  capital 
plan  from  succeeding,  brother,"  said  she,  rising  as  she 
spoke. 

"  And  what  is  that  ?  " 

"That  I  do  not  love  the  Duke  de  Guise.** 

"  And  whom,  then,  do  you  love  ?  " 

"  No  one." 

D'Alen9on  looked  at  Marguerite  with  the  astonishment 
of  a  man,  who,  in  his  turn,  does  not  comprehend,  and  left 
the  apartment,  pressing  his  cold  hand  on  his  forehead, 
which  ached  to  bursting.  Marguerite  was  alone  and 
thoughtful,  when  Queen  Catherine  sent  to  know  if  she 
would  accompany  her  in  a  pilgrimage  to  the  hawthorn  of 
the  Cemetery  of  the  Innocents. 

She  sent  word,  that  if  they  would  prepare  a  horse,  she 
would  most  readily  accompany  their  majesties. 

A  few  minutes  after,  the  page  came  to  tell  her  that  all 
was  ready ;  and,  after  a  sign  to  Gillonne  to  take  care  of 
La  Mole,  she  went  forth. 

The  king,  the  queen-mother,  Tavannes,  and  the  prin- 
cipal Catholics,  were  already  mounted.  Marguerite  cast 
a  rapid  glance  over  the  group,  which  was  composed  of 
twenty  persons  nearly,  but  the  King  of  Navarre  was  not 
of  the  party. 

Madame  de  Sauve  was  there,  and  she  exchanged  a 
glance  with  her,  which  convinced  the  Queen  of  Navarre 
that  her  husband's  mistress  had  something  to  tell  her. 

As  they  proceeded,  the  people  shouted  and  cried,  "  Vive 
le  roi  I  Vive  la  messe  !  Mort  aux  Huguenots  1" 

When  they  reached  the  top  of  the  Eue  des  Prouvelles, 
they  met  some  men  who  were  dragging  a  carcass  with- 
out a  head.  It  was  that  of  the  admiral.  The  men  were 
going  to  hang  it  by  the  feet  at  Montfaucon. 

They  entered  the  Cemetery  of  Saint  Innocents,  and  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  H9 

clergy,  forewarned  of  the  visit  of  the  king  and  the  queen- 
mother,  awaited  their  majesties  to  harangue  them. 

Madame  de  Sauve  profited  by  a  moment  when  Catherine 
was  listening  to  the  discourse  that  was  being  made,  to 
approach  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  and  beg  leave  to  kiss  her 
hand.  Marguerite  extended  her  arm  towards  her,  and 
Madame  de  Sauve,  as  she  kissed  the  queen's  hand,  secretly 
put  a  small  piece  of  paper  up  her  sleeve. 

Quick  and  well  managed  as  was  Madame  de  Sauve's  pro- 
ceeding, yet  Catherine  perceived  it,  and  turned  round  at 
the  moment  when  the  maid  of  honor  was  kissing  Mar- 
guerite's hand. 

The  two  women  saw  that  look,  which  penetrated  them 
like  lightning,  but  both  remained  unmoved  ;  only  Madame 
de  Sauve  left  Marguerite,  and  resumed  her  place  near 
Catherine. 

When  the  address  was  finished,  Catherine  made  a  ges- 
ture, smilingly,  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  who  went  towards 
her. 

' '  Eh,  my  daughter,"  said  the  queen-mother,  in  her 
Italian  patois,  "are  you,  then,  on  such  intimate  terms 
with  Madame  de  Sauve  ?  " 

Marguerite  smiled  in  turn,  and  gave  to  her  lovely  counte- 
nance the  bitterest  expression  she  could,  as  she  said  : 

"  Yes,  mother  ;  the  serpent  came  to  bite  my  hand  ! " 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  replied  Catherine,  with  a  smile,  "  you  are 
jealous,  I  think  ! " 

"You  mistake,  madame,"  replied  Marguerite  ;  "lam 
no  more  jealous  of  the  King  of  Navarre  than  the  King 
of  Navarre  is  jealous  of  me,  only  I  know  how  to  dis- 
tinguish my  friends  from  my  enemies.  I  like  those  who 
like  me,  and  detest  those  who  hate  me.  If  not,  madame, 
should  I  be  your  daughter  ?  " 

Catherine  smiled  so  as  to  make  Marguerite  understand 
that,  if  she  had  had  any  suspicion,  it  had  vanished. 

At  this  moment  arrived  other  pilgrims.  The  Duke  de 
Guise  came  with  a  troop  of  gentlemen  all  warm  still  with 
recent  carnage.  They  escorted  a  litter,  richly  covered 
with  tapestry,  which  stopped  in  front  of  the  king. 


120  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"The  Da  chess  de  Nevers!"  cried  Charles  IX.,  "let 
that  lovely  and  pure  Catholic  come  and  receive  our  com- 
pliments. Why,  they  tell  me,  cousin,  that  from  your 
window  you  made  war  on  the  Huguenots,  and  killed  one 
with  a  stone/' 

The  Duchess  de  Nevers  blushed  exceedingly. 

"  Sire,"  she  said,  in  a  low  tone,  and  kneeling  before  the 
king,  "it  was,  on  the  contrary,  a  wounded  Catholic, 
whom  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  rescue. " 

"  Good — good,  my  cousin  !  there  are  two  ways  of  serv- 
ing me." 

During  this  time,  the  people  again  cried,  "  Vive  le  roi  I 
Vive  le  Due  de  Guise  !  Vive  la  messe  ! " 

"Do  you  return  to  the  Louvre  with  us,  Henriette  ?" 
inquired  the  queen-mother  of  the  lovely  duchess. 

Marguerite  touched  her  friend  on  the  elbow,  who,  un- 
derstanding the  sign,  replied  : 

"No,  madame,  unless  your  majesty  desire  it ;  for  I  have 
business  in  the  city  with  her  majesty  the  Queen  of  Na- 
varre." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  together  ?  "  inquired 
Catherine. 

"  To  see  some  very  rare  and  curious  Greek  books  found 
at  an  old  Protestant  pastor's,  and  which  have  been  taken 
to  the  Tower  of  Saint  Jacques  la  Boucherie,"  replied  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  Yon  would  do  much  better  to  see  the  last  Huguenot 
flung  from  the  top  of  Pont-aux-Meuniers  into  the  Seine," 
said  Charles  IX.  ;  "  that  is  the  place  for  all  good  French- 
men." 

"  We  will  go,  if  it  be  your  majesty's  desire/'  replied  the 
Duchess  de  Nevers. 

Catherine  cast  a  look  of  distrust  on  the  two  young 
women.  Marguerite,  on  the  watch,  remarked  it,  and 
turning  herself  round  uneasily,  looked  about  her. 

This  assumed  or  real  disquietude  did  not  escape  Cath- 
erine. 

"  What  are  you  looking  for  ?  " 

"  1  am  seeking — I  do  not  see "  she  replied. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  121 

"  Whom  are  you  seeking.?  " 

"  Madame  de  Sauve,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  she  must  have 
returned  to  the  Louvre." 

"  Did  I  not  say  you  were  jealous  ! "  said  Catherine,  in 
her  daughter's  ear.  "  Oh,  bestia  !  Come,  come,  Hen- 
riette,"  she  added,  "  begone,  and  take  the  Queen  of  Na- 
varre with  you." 

Marguerite  pretended  to  look  still  about  her  ;  then, 
turning  towards  her  friend,  she  said,  in  a  whisper  : 

"  Take  me  away  quickly  ;  I  have  matters  of  great  im- 
portance to  say  to  you." 

The  duchess  saluted  the  king  and  queen-mother  respect- 
fully, and  then,  inclining  before  the  Queen  of  Navarre  : 

"  Will  your  majesty  condescend  to  come  into  my 
litter?" 

"  Willingly,  only  you  will  have  to  take  me  back  to  the 
Louvre." 

"  My  litter,  like  my  servants  and  myself,  are  at  your 
majesty's  orders." 

Queen  Marguerite  entered  the  litter,  whilst  Catherine 
and  her  gentlemen  returned  to  the  Louvre,  and,  during 
the  route,  she  spoke  incessantly  to  the  king,  pointing 
several  times  to  Madame  de  Sauve  ;  and  at  each  time  the 
king  laughed — as  Charles  IX.  did  laugh — that  is,  with  a 
laugh  more  sinister  than  a  threat. 

As  to  Marguerite,  as  soon  as  she  felt  the  litter  in  mo- 
tion, and  had  no  longer  to  fear  the  searching  gaze  of 
Catherine,  she  quickly  drew  from  her  sleeve  the  note  of 
Madame  de  Sauve  and  read  as  follows  : 

' 1 1  have  received  orders  to  send  to-night  to  the  King  of 
Navarre  two  keys  :  one  is  that  of  the  chamber  in  which  he 
is  shut  up,  and  the  other  is  the  key  of  my  chamber  ;  when 
once  in  my  apartment,  I  am  enjoined  to  keep  him  there 
until  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"  Let  your  majesty  reflect — let  your  majesty  decide.  Let 
your  majesty  esteem  my  life  as  nothing." 

"  There  is  now  no  doubt,"  murmured  Marguerite  ;  "  and 
the  poor  woman  is  the  tool  of  which  they  wish  to  make 


122  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

use  to  destroy  us  all.  But  we  will  see  if  the  Queen  Mar- 
got,  as  my  brother  Charles  calls  me,  is  so  easily  to  be  made 
a  nun  of." 

"  And  what  is  that  letter  abont  ? "  inquired  the 
Duchess  de  Nevers. 

"  Ah  !  duchess,  I  have  so  many  things  to  say  to  you  ! " 
replied  Marguerite,  tearing  the  note  into  a  thousand  bits, 
and  scattering  them  to  the  winds. 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

.   MUTUAL  CONFIDENCE. 

first,  where  are  we  going  ?"  asked  Marguerite  ; 
"not  to  the  Pont  des  Menniers,  I  suppose — I  have  seen 
enough  slaughter  since  yesterday." 

"  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  conduct  your  majesty " 

"  First  and  foremost,  my  majesty  requests  you  to  forget 
my  majesty  ;  you  were  taking  me " 

"  To  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  unless  you  decide  otherwise." 

"  No,  no,  let  us  go  there,  Henriette  ;  the  duke  and 
your  husband  are  not  there." 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  the  duchess,  her  bright  eyes  sparkling 
with  joy  ;  "  no  :  neither  my  husband,  my  brother-in-law, 
nor  any  one  else.  I  am  free — free  as  air — free  as  a  bird  ; 
free,  my  queen  !  Do  you  understand  the  happiness  there 
is  in  that  word  ? — free  !  I  come,  I  go,  I  command.  Ah, 
poor  queen,  you  are  not  free — you  sigh." 

•'<  You  come,  you  go,  you  command.  Is  that  all  ?  Is 
that  all  the  use  of  liberty  ?" 

"  Your  majesty  promised  me  that  you  would  begin  our 
mutual  confidence." 

"  Again,  '  your  majesty  ! '  I  shall  be  angry  soon,  Hen- 
riette. Have  you  forgotten  our  agreement  ?  " 

"  No ;  your  respectful  servant  in  public — in  private; 
your  madcap  confidante.  Is  it  not  so,  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  queen,  smiling. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  123 

"  No  family  rivalry,  no  treachery  in  love  ;  all  fair  and 
open.  An  offensive  and  defensive  alliance,  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  seeking,  and,  if  we  can,  seizing,  that  ephemeral 
thing  called  happiness." 

"  Just  so,  duchess.  Let  us  again  seal  the  compact  with 
a  kiss." 

And  the  two  beautiful  women,  the  one  so  roseate,  so 
fair,  so  animated,  the  other  so  pale,  so  full  of  melancholy, 
united  their  lips  as  they  had  united  their  thoughts. 

"  What  is  there  new  ? "  asked  the  duchess,  fixing  her 
eyes  upon  Marguerite. 

"  Everything  is  new  since  the  last  two  days,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  am  speaking  of  love,  not  of  politics.  When  we 
are  as  old  as  your  mother,  Catherine,  we  will  think  of 
politics,  but  at  twenty,  let  us  think  of  something  else. 
Tell  me,  are  you  really  married  ?  " 

"  To  whom  ?" 

"Ah,  you  reassure  me." 

"  Well,  Henriette,  that  which  reassures  you  alarms  me. 
Duchess,  I  must  be  married." 

"When?" 

"  To-morrow." 

"  Oh,  pauvre  Marguerite  !  and  is  it  essential  ?" 

"  Absolutely." 

"  Mordi !  as  an  acquaintance  of  mine  says,  this  is 
very  sad." 

"  You  know  some  one  who  says  mordi  f  "  asked  Mar- 
guerite, with  a  smile. 

"Yes." 

"  And  who  is  this  acquaintance  ?  " 

"  You  ask  questions  instead  of  answering  them.  Finish 
your  story,  and  then  I  will  begin." 

"In  two  words,  it  is  this.  The  King  of  Navarre  is  in 
love,  and  not  with  me  ;  I  am  not  in  love,  and  certainly  not 
with  him;  yet  we  must  both  of  us  change,  or  seem  to 
change,  before  to-morrow." 

"  Well,  do  you  change,  and  he  will  soon  do  the  same." 

"  That  is  quite  impossible,  for  I  am  less  than  ever  in- 
clined to  change." 


124  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  Only  with  respect  to  your  husband,  I  hope." 

"  Henriette,  I  have  a  scruple." 

"  A  scruple  !  about  what  ?  " 

"  Of  religion.  Do  you  make  any  difference  between 
Huguenots  and  Catholics  ?  " 

"  In  politics  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"Of  course." 

"  And  in  love  ?" 

"Macheref"  we  women  are  such  heathens,  that  we 
admit  every  kind  of  sect,  and  recognize  many  gods." 

"  In  one,  eh  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  duchess,  her  eyes  sparkling  ;  "  he 
who  is  called  Eros,  Gupido,  Amor.  He  who  has  a  quiver 
on  his  back,  wings  on  his  shoulders,  and  a  bandage  over 
his  eyes.  Mordi,  vive  la  devotion ! " 

"  You  have  a  peculiar  method  of  praying  ;  you  throw 
stones  on  the  Huguenots." 

"  Let  them  talk.  Ah,  Marguerite  !  how  the  finest  ideas, 
the  noblest  actions,  are  spoilt  in  passing  through  the 
mouths  of  the  vulgar." 

"  The  vulgar !  why,  it  was  my  brother  Charles  who 
congratulated  you  on  your  exploits." 

"  Your  brother  Charles  is  a  mighty  hunter,  who  blows 
the  horn  all  day,  which  makes  him  very  thin.  I  reject 
his  compliments ;  besides,  I  gave  him  his  answer.  Did 
you  hear  what  I  said  ?  " 

"  No  ;  you  spoke  so  low." 

"  So  much  the  better.  I  shall  have  more  news  to  tell 
you.  Now,  then,  finish  your  story,  Marguerite." 

«  Why—why " 

"Well." 

"  Why,  in  truth,"  said  the  queen,  laughing,  "  if  the 
stone  my  brother  spoke  of  be  a  fact,  I  should  not  care  to 
tell  you  my  story  at  all." 

"Ah!"  cried  Henriette,  "you  have  chosen  a  Hugue- 
not. Well,  to  reassure  your  conscience,  I  promise  you  to 
choose  one  myself  on  the  first  opportunity." 

"  Ah,  you  have  chosen  a  Catholic,  then." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  125 

"  Mordi  !  "  replied  the  duchess. 

"  I  see,  I  Bee." 

"  And  what  is  this  Huguenot  of  yours  ? 

"  I  have  not  adopted  him.  He  is  nothing,  and  probably 
never  will  be  anything  to  me." 

"But  what  sort  is  he?  You  can  tell  me  that;  you 
know  how  curious  I  am  about  these  matters." 

"  A  poor  young  fellow,  beautiful  as  Benvenuto  Cellini's 
Nisus,— and  who  took  refuge  in  my  apartment." 

"  Oh,  oh  ! — of  course  without  any  suggestion  on  your 
part  ?  " 

"  Do  not  laugh,  Henriette ;  at  this  very  moment  he  is 
between  life  and  death." 

"  He  is  ill,  then  ?  " 

"He  is  dangerously  wounded." 

"  A  wounded  Huguenot  is  very  disagreeable,  especially 
in  these  times  ;  and  what  have  you  done  with  this  wounded 
Huguenot,  who  is  not,  and  never  will  be,  anything  to 
you  ?  " 

"  He  is  hid  in  my  cabinet :  I  would  save  him." 

"  He  is  young,  handsome,  and  wounded — you  hide  him 
and  wish  to  save  him.  He  will  be  very  ungrateful  if  he 
do  not  show  himself  very  grateful." 

"  He  is  already,  I  fear,  more  grateful  than  I  could  wish." 

"  And  this  poor  young  man  interests  you  ?" 

"  Only  for  humanity's  sake." 

"  Ah  !  humanity's  precisely  the  virtue  that  undoes  all 
us  women." 

'•  Yes  ;  and  you  see  the  king,  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  my 
mother,  or  even  my  husband,  may  at  any  moment  enter 
the  apartment " 

"  Ay,  you  want  me  t.gnhide  your  Huguenot  so  long  as 
he  is  ill,  upon  conditio-  send  him  back  to  you  when  he 
is  cured  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  do  not  look  forward  so  far  ; 
but  if  you  could  conceal  the  poor  fellow — if  you  could  pre- 
serve the  life  I  have  saved,  1  should  be  most  grateful. 
You  are  free  at  the  Hotel  de  Guise  ;  you  have  no  one  to 
watch  you  ;  besides,  behind  your  chamber  there  is  a  cabi- 


126  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

net  like  mine,  into  which  no  one  is  entitled  to  enter ; 
lend  me  this  cabinet  for  my  Huguenot,  and  when  he  is 
cured,  open  the  cage,  and  let  the  bird  fly  away." 

"  There  is  only  one  difficulty,  my  dear  ;  the  cage  is 
already  occupied." 

"  What,  have  you  also  saved  somebody  ?  " 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  answered  your  brother  with." 

"  Ah,  ah  !  that's  why  you  spoke  so  low  that  I  could  not 
hear  you." 

"  Listen,  Marguerite  :  the  story  is  no  less  poetical  and 
romantic  than  yours.  After  I  had  left  you  six  of  my 
guards,  I  returned  with  the  rest  to  the  Hotel  de  Guise. 
I  was  looking  at  a  house  that  was  burning  opposite,  when 
I  heard  the  voices  of  men  swearing,  and  of  women  crying. 
I  went  out  on  the  balcony,  and  saw,  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fight,  a  complete  hero — I  like  heroes — an  Ajax-Telamon  ; 
I  stood  trembling  at  every  blow  aimed  at  him,  and  at 
every  thrust  he  dealt,  until,  all  of  a  sudden,  my  hero 
disappeared." 

"  How  ?  " 

"Struck  down  by  a  stone  an  old  woman  threw  at  him. 
Then,  like  the  son  of  Croesus,  I  found  my  voice,  and 
screamed,  *  Help  !  help  !  *  My  guards  went  out,  lifted 
him  up,  and  bore  him  to  my  apartment." 

"  Alas  !  I  can  the  better  understand  this  history,  that 
it  is  so  nearly  my  own." 

"  With  this  difference,  that  as  I  have  served  the  king 
and  the  Catholic  religion  in  succoring  him,  I  have  no 
reason  to  send  M.  Annibal  de  Coconnas  away." 

"  His  name  is  Annibal  de  Coconnas  I"  said  Marguerite, 
laughing. 

"  A  terrible  name,  is  it  not  9  Well,  he  who  bears  it  is 
worthy  of  it.  Put  on  your  ne  <f.,  for  we  are  now  at  the 
hotel." 

"  Why  put  on  my  mask  ?" 

"  Because  I  wish  to  show  you  my  hero." 

"  Is  he  handsome  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  so  to  me  during  the  conflict.  In  the  morn- 
ing, I  must  confess  he  did  not  look  quite  so  well  as  at  night, 


MARGUEEITE  DE  VALOIS. 

by  the  light  of  the  flames.  But  I  do  not  think  you  will 
find  great  fault  with  him." 

"  Then  my  prot6g(3  is  rejected  at  the  H6tel  de  Guise ;  I 
am  sorry  for  it,  for  that  is  the  last  place  that  they  wonld 
look  for  a  Huguenot  in." 

"  Oh,  no ;  your  Huguenot  shall  come  ;  he  shall  have 
one  corner  of  the  cabinet,  and  Annibal  the  other/' 

"  But  when  they  recognize  each  other  they  will  fight." 

"  Oh,  there  is  no  danger.  M.  de  Coconnas  has  had  a 
cut  down  the  face  that  prevents  him  from  seeing  very  well ; 
your  Huguenot  is  wounded  in  the  chest ;  and,  besides,  you 
have  only  to  tell  him  to  be  silent  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
and  all  will  go  well." 

"  So  be  it." 

"  It's  a  bargain  :  and  now  let  us  go  in." 

"  Thanks,"  said  Marguerite,  pressing  her  friend's  hand. 

(<  Here,  madame,"  said  the  duchess,  "  you  are  again 
'  your  majesty,'  suffer  me,  then,  to  do  the  honors  of  the 
H6tel  de  Guise  fittingly  for  the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

And  the  duchess,  descending  from  the  litter,  almost 
bent  her  knee  as  she  aided  Marguerite  to  alight ;  then 
pointing  to  the  gate  guarded  by  two  soldiers,  arquebuss 
in  hand,  she  followed  the  queen  respectfully  into  the 
hotel. 

Arrived  at  her  chamber,  the  duchess  closed  the  door, 
and,  calling  to  her  waiting-woman,  a  thorough  Sicilian, 
said  to  her  in  Italian,  "  How  is  M.  le  Cotnte  ?" 

"  Better  and  better,"  replied  she. 

"  What  is  he  doing  ?  w 

"  At  this  moment,  madame,  he  is  taking  some  refresh- 
ment." 

"  It  is  always  a  good  sign,"  said  Marguerite,  "  when  the 
appetite  returns." 

"  Ah,  I  forgot  you  were  a  pupil  of  Ambroise  Pare. 
Leave  us,  Mica." 

"  Why  do  you  send  her  away  ?  " 

"  That  she  may  be  on  the  watch." 

"  Now,"  said  the  duchess,  "  will  you  go  in  to  see  him, 
or  shall  I  send  for  him  here  ?  " 


128  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  I  wish  to  see  him 
without  his  seeing  me." 

"  What  matters  it  ?    You  have  your  mask." 

"  He  may  recognize  me  by  my  hands,  my  hair,  my 
ring." 

"  How  cautions  we  are,  since  we've  been  married  1 " 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  Well/'  said  the  duchess,  "  I  see  only  one  way." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  To  look  through  the  keyhole." 

"  Take  me  to  the  door,  then." 

The  duchess  led  Marguerite  to  a  door  covered  with 
tapestry  ;  raising  this,  she  applied  her  eye  to  the  keyhole. 

"  'Tis  as  you  could  wish  ;  he  is  sitting  at  table,  with  his 
face  turned  towards  us." 

The  queen  took  her  friend's  place ;  Coconnas  was,  as 
the  duchess  had  said,  sitting  at  a  table  well  covered,  and, 
despite  his  wounds,  was  doing  ample  justice  to  the  good 
things  before  him. 

"  Ah,  mon  Dieu  !  "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  asked  the  duchess. 

"  Impossible  ! — no  ! — yes  ! — 'tis  he  himself  !  " 

"Who?" 

"  Chut,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  'tis  he  who  pursued  my 
Huguenot  into  my  apartment,  and  would  have  killed  him 
in  my  arms  !  Oh,  Henriette,  how  fortunate  he  did  not 
see  me." 

"  Well*  then,  you  have  seen  him  in  battle  ;  is  he  not 
handsome." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Marguerite,  "  for  I  was  looking 
at  him  he  pursued." 

"  What  is  his  name  ?" 

' '  You  will  not  mention  it  before  the  count  ?  " 

"No!" 

"  Lerao  de  la  Mole." 

"  And  now  what  do  you  think  of  my  Annibal  P  " 

"Of  La  Mole?" 

"  Of  Coconnas  ?  " 

"Ma foil"  said  Marguerite,  "I  confess  I  think     •-** 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  129 

She  stopped. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  duchess,  "  I  see  you  cannot 
forgive  his  wounding  your  Huguenot." 

"  Why,  so  far,"  said  Marguerite,  smiling,  "  my  Hugue- 
not owes  him  nothing  ;  the  cut  he  gave  him  on  his 
face " 

"  They  are  quits,  then,  and  we  can  reconcile  them. 
Send  me  your  wounded  man." 

"  Not  now — by  and  by." 

"When  ?" 

"  When  you  have  found  yours  a  fresh  chamber." 

"  Which  ?  " 

Marguerite  looked  meaningly  at  her  friend,  who,  after 
a  moment's  silence,  laughed. 

"  So  be  it,"  said  the  duchess  ;  "  alliance  firmer  than 
ever." 

"  Friendship  ever  sincere  !  " 

"  And  the  word,  in  case  we  need  each  other." 

"  The  triple  name  of  your  triple  god,  '  Eros,  Cupido, 
Amor." 

And  the  two  princesses  separated  after  one  more  em- 
brace, and  pressing  each  other's  hand  for  the  twentieth 
time. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HOW  THERE   ABE    KEYS  THAT  OPEN   DOORS  THEY  ARE   NOT 
MEANT    FOR. 

THE  Queen  of  Navarre,  on  her  return  to  the  Louvre, 
found  Grillonne  in  great  excitement.  Madame  de  Sauve 
had  come  in  her  absence.  She  had  brought  a  key  sent 
her  by  the  queen-mother.  It  was  the  key  of  the  cham- 
ber in  which  Henry  was  confined.  It  was  evident  that 
the  queen-mother  wished  the  Bearnais  to  pass  the  night 
in  Madame  de  Sauve's  apartment. 

Marguerite  took  the  key,  and  turned  it  and  turned  it ; 
she  made  Grillonne  repeat  Madame  de  Sauve's  every  word, 
9 


130  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

weighed  them,  letter  by  letter,  and  at  length  thought  she 
detected  Catherine's  plan. 

She  took  pen  and  ink,  and  wrote  : 

"  Instead  of  going  to  Madame  de  Sanve  to-night,  come 
to  the  Queen  of  Navarre. — MARGUERITE/' 

She  rolled  up  the  paper,  put  it  in  the  pipe  of  the  key 
and  ordered  Gillonne,  as  soon  a&  it  was  dark,  to  slip  the 
key  under  the  king's  door. 

This  done,  Marguerite  thought  of  the  wounded  man, 
closed  all  the  doors,  entered  the  cabinet,  and,  to  her  great 
surprise,  found  La  Mole  dressed  in  all  his  clothes,  torn 
and  blood-stained  as  they  were. 

On  seeing  her  he  strove  to  rise,  but  could  not  stand, 
and  fell  back  upon  the  sofa  which  had  served  for  his  bed. 

"What  is  the  matter,  sir  ?"  asked  Marguerite  ;  "and 
why  do  you  thus  disobey  the  orders  of  your  physician  ?  I 
recommended  you  repose,  and  instead  of  following  my 
advice  you  do  just  the  contrary." 

"Oh,  madame,"  said  Gillonne,  "it  is  not  my  fault  ;  I 
have  entreated  M.  le  Comte  not  to  commit  this  folly,  but 
he  declares  that  nothing  shall  keep  him  any  longer  at  the 
Louvre." 

"  Quit  the  Louvre  !  "  said  Marguerite,  astonished. 
"  Why,  it  is  impossible — you  can  scarcely  stand  ;  you  are 
pale  and  weak  ;  your  knees  tremble.  Only  a  few  hours 
ago,  the  wound  in  your  shoulder  still  bled." 

"  Madame,"  said  the  young  man,  "  as  earnestly  as  I 
thanked  your  majesty  for  having  saved  my  life,  as  ear- 
nestly do  I  pray  you  to  suffer  me  to  depart." 

"I  scarcely  know  what  to  call  such  a  resolution,"  said 
Marguerite  ;  "it  is  worse  than  ingratitude." 

"  Oh,"  cried  La  Mole,  clasping  his  hands,  "  think  me 
not  ungrateful ;  my  gratitude  will  cease  only  with  my  life." 

"It  will  not  last  long,  then,"  said  Marguerite,  moved  at 
these  words,  the  sincerity  of  which  it  was  impossible  to 
doubt ;  "  for  your  wounds  will  open,  and  you  will  die  from 
loss  of  blood,  or  you  will  be  recognized  for  a  Huguenot, 
and  killed,  ere  you  advance  fifty  yards  in  the  street." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOE3. 

"  I  must,  nevertheless,  quit  the  Louvre,"  murmured 
La  Mole. 

"  Must,"  returned  Marguerite,  fixing  her  full  speaking 
gaze  upon  him;  "ah,  yes  :  forgive  me,  I  understand  ; 
doubtless,  there  is  one  who  anxiously  awaits  you.  I  ap- 
preciate the  feeling,  and  reproach  myself  for  not  having 
before  thought  of  it  ;  I  should  have  attended  to  your  mind 
as  well  as  to  your  body/' 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "you  are  mistaken — I  am 
well-nigh  alone  in  the  world,  and  altogether  so  in  Paris. 
My  pursuer  is  the  first  man  I  have  spoken  to  in  this  city  ; 
your  majesty  the  first  lady  who  has  addressed  me." 

"Then,"  said  Marguerite,  "  why  would  you  go  ?" 

"Because,"  replied  La  Mole,  "last  night  you  had  no 
rest,  and  that  to-night " 

Margaret  blushed. 

"  Gillonne/'  said  she,  "  it  is  time  to  take  that  key  to 
the  King  of  Navarre." 

Gillonne  smiled,  and  left  the  room. 

"  But,"  continued  Marguerite,  "  if  you  are  alone,  with- 
out friends,  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  Madame,  I  soon  shall  have  friends,  for  whilst  I  was 
pursued,  I  saw  the  form  of  my  mother  guiding  me  to  the 
Louvre,  and  I  vowed,  if  I  were  spared,  to  abjure.  Heav- 
en has  done  more  than  save  my  life — it  has  sent  me  one  of 
its  angels  to  make  life  dear  to  me." 

"  But  you  cannot  walk  ;  you  will  faint  before  you  have 
gone  a  hundred  yards." 

"  Madame,  I  have  tried  to  walk  in  the  cabinet ;  I  do  so 
slowly,  it  is  true,  but  once  outside  the  Louvre,  I  will  take 
my  chance." 

Marguerite  leaned  her  head  on  her  hand,  and  reflected 
for  an  instant. 

"  And  the  King  of  Navarre,"  said  she,  emphatically, 
"  you  do  not  speak  of  him  ?  In  changing  your  religion, 
have  you  also  changed  your  desire  to  enter  his  service  ?" 

"  Madame,"  returned  La  Mole,  "  I  know  that  his 
majesty  runs  a  great  risk  at  present,  and  that  all  your  in- 
fluence will  scarce  suffice  to  save  him." 


132  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  What !  "  said  Marguerite,  "  how  know  you  that  ?  " 

"  Madame/'  returned  La  Mole,  after  some  hesitation, 
"one  can  hear  everything  in  this  cabinet." 

"  Tis  true/'  said  Marguerite  to  herself  ;  "  M.  de  Guise 
told  rne  so  before." 

"  Well/'  added  she,  aloud,  "  what  have  yon  heard  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  the  conversation  between  your  maj- 
esty and  your  brother." 

"With  FranQois  ?"  said  Marguerite. 

"  With  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  ;  and  since  your  departure, 
that  of  Gillonne  and  Madame  de  Sauve." 

"  And  it  is  these  two  conversations " 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  married  scarcely  a  week,  you  love  your 
husband ;  to-night  he  will  come,  in  his  turn,  in  the  same 
way  that  the  Duke  d'AlenQon  and  Madame  de  Sauve  have 
come,  he  will  discourse  with  you  of  his  affairs  :  I  do  not 
wish  to  hear  ;  I  might  be  indiscreet — I  will  give  myself  no 
chance  of  being  so." 

At  the  last  words,  and  their  manner,  Marguerite  com- 
prehended all. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  she,  "  you  have  heard  everything  that  has 
been  said  in  this  chamber  ?" 

"  Yes,  madame." 

These  words  were  uttered  in  a  sigh. 

' '  And  you  wish  to  depart  to-night,  to  avoid  hearing 
any  more  ?  " 

"This  moment,  if  it  please  your  majesty." 

"Poor  fellow!"  said  Marguerite,  with  an  accent  of 
tender  pity. 

Astonished  at  so  gentle  an  apostrcpbe,  when  he  ex- 
pected an  abrupt  reply,  La  Mole  lifted  his  head  timidly — 
his  eyes  encountered  those  of  the  queen,  and  remained 
immovable  before  her  penetrating  glance. 

"  you  are,  then,  incapable  of  keeping  a  secret,  M.  de  la 
Mole?  "said  the  queen,  who,  seated  in  a  large  chair, 
could  watch  La  Mole's  face  whilst  her  own  remained  in 
the  shadow. 

"  Madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  distrust  myself,  and  the 
happiness  of  another  gives  me  pain." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  133 

"  The  happiness  of  whom  ?  Ah,  yes — of  the  King  of 
Navarre  !  Poor  Henry  ! " 

"  You  see."  cried  La  Mole,  passionately,  "he is  happy." 

«  Happy  ?  " 

"Yes,  for  your  majesty  pities  him." 

Marguerite  played  with  the  golden  tassels  of  her  alms- 
purse. 

"  You  will  not,  then,  see  the  King  of  Navarre — you  are 
quite  resolved  ?  " 

"  I  fear  I  should  be  troublesome  to  his  majesty  at  pres- 
ent." 

"  But  the  Duke  d'AlenQon,  my  brother  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no ! "  cried  La  Mole,  "  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  even 
still  less  than  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Why  so  ?"  asked  Marguerite. 

"  Because,  although  I  am  already  too  bad  a  Huguenot 
to  be  a  faithful  servant  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  I  am  not 
a  sufficiently  good  Catholic  to  be  friends  with  the  Duke 
d'Alen9on  and  M.  de  Guise." 

Marguerite  cast  down  her  eyes  ;  that  which  La  Mole  had 
said,  struck  to  her  very  heart. 

At  this  instant  Gillonne  returned  ;  Marguerite,  with  a 
look,  interrogated  her,  and  Gillonne,  in  the  same  manner, 
answered  in  the  affirmative  ;  the  King  of  Navarre  had 
received  the  key. 

Marguerite  turned  her  eyes  towards  La  Mole,  who  stood, 
his  head  drooping  on  his  breast,  sad,  pale,  grief-laden,  as 
one  suffering  alike  in  mind  and  in  body. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  is  so  proud,"  said  she,  "  that  I  hesitate 
to  make  him  an  offer  I  fear  he  will  repel." 

La  Mole  rose,  and  advanced  a  step  towards  Marguerite, 
but  a  feeling  of  faintness  came  over  him,  and  he  caught 
at  a  table  to  save  himself  from  falling. 

"You  see,  monsieur,"  cried  Marguerite,  supporting 
him  in  her  arms,  "  that  I  am  still  necessary  to  you." 

"  Oh,  yes  ! "  murmured  La  Mole,  "  as  the  air  I  breathe 
— as  the  light  of  heaven." 

At  this  moment  three  knocks  were  heard  at  the  outer 
door. 


134:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOE3. 

'    "  Do  you  hear,  madame  ?  "  cried  Gillonne,  alarmed. 

"  Already  1 "  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"Shall  I  open?" 

"  Wait !  it  is  the  King  of  Navarre,  perhaps." 

"  Oh,  madame  !  n  cried  La  Mole,  recalled  to  himself  by 
these  words,  which  the  queen  hoped  had  been  heard  by 
Gillonne  alone,  "  I  implore — I  entreat  you,  let  me  depart. 
Oh  !  you  do  not  answer.  I  will  tell  you  all,  and  then  you 
will  drive  me  away,  I  hope." 

"  Be  silent,"  said  Marguerite,  who  found  an  indescrib- 
ble  charm  in  the  reproaches  of  the  young  man;  "be 
silent." 

"  Madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  who  did  not  find  that 
anger  he  expected  in  the  voice  of  the  queen,  "  madame,  I 
tell  you  again,  I  hear  everything  from  this  cabinet.  Oh, 
do  not  make  me  perish  by  tortures  more  cruel  than  the 
executioner  could  inflict " 

"  Silence  !  silence  !  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Oh,  you  are  merciless  !  you  will  not  understand  me. 
Know,  then,  that  I " 

"  Silence  !  I  tell  you,"  said  Marguerite,  placing  on  .his 
mouth  her  white  and  perfumed  hand,  which  he  seized,  and 
pressed  eagerly  to  his  lips. 

"  But "  murmured  he. 

"Be  silent,  child  ! — who  is  this  rebel  that  refuses  to 
obey  his  queen  ?  " 

Then,  hastily  quitting  the  cabinet,  she  pressed  her  hand 
to  her  heart,  as  if  to  control  it. 

"  And  now,  open,  Gillonne." 

Gillonne  left  the  apartment,  and  an  instant  after  the 
fine,  intellectual,  but  at  present  somewhat  anxious  coun- 
tenance of  the  King  of  Navarre  appeared. 

"  You  have  sent  for  me,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir.     Your  majesty  received  my  letter  ?  " 

"  And  not  without  some  surprise,  I  confess,"  said  Henry, 
looking  round  with  distrust,  which,  however,  almost  in- 
stantly vanished  from  his  mind. 

"  And  not  without  disquiet,"  added  Marguerite. 

"  I  confess  it  !     But  still,  surrounded  as  I  am  by  deadly 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  135 

enemies,  by  friends  still  more  dangerous,  perhaps,  than 
my  open  foes,  I  recollected  that  one  evening  I  had  seen  a 
noble  generosity  radiant  in  your  eyes — 'twas  the  night  of 
our  marriage  :  that  one  other  evening  I  had  seen  high 
courage  glance  from  them — 'twas  yesterday,  the  day  fixed 
for  my  death." 

"Well,  monsieur  \"  said  Marguerite,  smiling,  whilst 
Henry  seemed  striving  to  read  her  heart. 

"  Well,  madame,"  returned  the  king,  "  thinking  of  these 
things,  I  said  to  myself,  when  I  read  your  letter :  With- 
out friends,  for  he  is  a  disarmed  prisoner,  the  King  of 
Navarre  has  but  one  means  of  dying  nobly,  of  dying  a 
death  that  will  be  recorded  in  history.  It  is  to  die  be- 
trayed by  his  wife  ;  and  I  am  come " 

"Sir/*  replied  Marguerite,  "you  will  change  your  tone 
when  you  learn  that  all  this  is  the  work  of  a  woman  who 
loves  you,  and  whom  you  love." 

Henry  started  back  at  these  words,  and  his  piercing  gray 
eyes  were  fixed  on  the  queen,  with  earnest  curiosity. 

"  Oh,  reassure  yourself,  sir,"  said  the  queen,  smiling ; 
"  I  am  not  that  person." 

"  But,  madame,"  said  Henry,  "  you  sent  me  this  key, 
and  this  is  your  writing." 

"  It  is  my  writing,  I  confess  ;  but  the  key  is  a  different 
matter :  content  you  with  knowing  that  it  has  passed 
through  the  hands  of  four  women  before  it  reached 
you." 

"Of  four  women?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  those  of  Queen  Catherine, 
Madame  de  Sauve,  Gillonne,  and  myself." 

Henry  pondered  over  this  enigma. 

"  Let  us  speak  plainly,"  said  Marguerite.  "  Eeport  says 
your  majesty  has  consented  to  abjure.  Is  that  true  ?  " 

"Report  is  somewhat  premature;  I  have  not  yet  con- 
sented." 

"  But  your  mind  is  made  up  ?  " 

"That  is  to  say,  I  am  deliberating.  At  twenty,  and 
almost  a  king,  there  are  many  things  that  are  well  worth 
a  mass." 


136  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Life,  for  instance  !  " 

Henry  smiled. 

"  You  do  not  tell  me  all,"  said  the  queen. 

"  I  have  reservations  for  my  allies  ;  and  you  know  we 
are  but  allies  as  yet ;  if  indeed,  you  were  both  my  ally 
and » 

"  And  your  wife,  sir  ?  " 

"Ma  foi  /yes,  and  my  wife " 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"Why,  then,  it  might  be  different,  and  I  perhaps 
might  resolve  to  remain  king  of  the  Huguenots,  as  they 
call  me.  But  as  it  is,  I  must  be  content  to  live." 

Marguerite  looked  at  her  husband  in  so  peculiar  a  man- 
ner, that  it  would  have  awakened  suspicion  in  a  less  acute 
mind  than  his. 

"  And  are  you  quite  sure  of  retaining  even  that  ?"  asked 
she. 

"  Why,  almost ;  but,  you  know,  in  this  world,  nothing 
is  certain." 

"  Truly,  your  majesty  shows  such  moderation,  such 
disinterestedness,  that  after  having  renounced  your 
crown,  your  religion,  you  may  be  expected  to  satisfy  the 
hopes  of  some  people,  and  renounce  your  alliance  with  a 
daughter  of  France  !  " 

There  was  a  significance  in  these  words  that  sent  a 
thrill  through  Henry's  whole  frame  :  repressing  the  emo- 
tion, he  said : 

"  Recollect,  madame,  that  at  this  moment  I  am  not  my 
own  master  :  I  shall  therefore  do  what  the  King  of  France 
orders  me.  As  to  myself,  were  I  consulted  the  least  in 
the  world  on  this  question,  affecting  as  it  does  my  throne, 
my  honor,  and  my  life,  rather  than  build  my  future  hopes 
on  this  forced  marriage  of  ours,  I  would  enter  a  cloister  or 
turn  gamekeeper."  • 

This  calm  resignation,  this  renunciation  of  the  world, 
alarmed  Marguerite.  She  thought,  perhaps  this  rupture 
of  the  marriage  had  been  arranged  between  Charles  IX., 
Catherine,  and  her  husband,  and  the  young  queen  felt 
her  ambition  attacked. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  137 

"Your  majesty/'  said  Marguerite,  with  a  sort  of  dis- 
dainful raillery,  "  has  no  confidence  in  the  star  that 
shines  over  the  head  of  every  king  I " 

"Ah,"  said  Henry,  "I  cannot  see  mine  ;  it  is  hidden 
by  the  storm  that  now  threatens  me  ! " 

"  And  suppose  the  breath  of  a  woman  were  to  dispel 
this  threatened  tempest,  and  make  the  star  reappear, 
brilliant  as  ever  ?  " 

< "T were  difficult." 

"  Do  you  deny  the  existence  of  this  woman  ?" 

"No,  I  deny  her  power." 

"  You  mean  her  will." 

"  I  said  her  power,  and  I  repeat  her  power.  A  woman 
is  only  powerful  when  love  and  interest  are  combined 
within  her  in  equal  degrees  :  if  either  sentiment  predom- 
inates, she  is,  like  Achilles,  vulnerable ;  and,  for  the 
woman  in  question,  if  I  mistake  not,  I  cannot  rely  on  her 
love." 

Marguerite  made  no  reply. 

"  Listen,"  said  Henry.  "  At  the  last  stroke  of  the  bell 
of  St.-Germain-1'Auxerrois,  you  most  likely  thought  of  re- 
gaining your  liberty,  sacrificed  to  the  interests  of  your 
party.  For  myself,  I  thought  of  saving  ray  life  :  that 
was  the  essential  point.  We  lose  Navarre,  indeed  ;  but 
what  is  that  compared  with  your  being  enabled  to 
speak  aloud  in  your  chamber,  which  you  dared  not  do 
when  you  had  some  one  listening  to  you  in  yonder 
cabinet  ?  " 

Marguerite  could  not  refrain  from  smiling.  The  king 
rose  and  prepared  to  seek  his  own  apartment ;  for  it  was 
eleven,  and  everybody  at  the  Louvre  was,  or  seemed  to  be, 
asleep. 

Henry  advanced  towards  the  door,  then,  as  if  suddenly 
recollecting  the  motive  of  his  visit : 

"  Apropos,  madame  !  "  said  he.  "  Had  you  not  some- 
thing to  communicate  to  me  ?  or  did  you  desire  to  give  me 
an  opportunity  of  thanking  you  for  having  saved  my  life  ? 
You  came,  I  confess,  like  a  goddess  of  antiquity,  just  in 
time  to  save  me." 


188  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  What  I "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  seizing  her  husband's 
arm  ;  "  do  you  not  see  that  nothing  is  saved,  neither  your 
liberty,  your  crown,  nor  your  life  ?  Infatuated  Henry  I 
Did  you,  then,  see  nothing  in  my  letter  but  an  amorous 
rendezvous  ?" 

"  I  confess,  madame,"  said  Henry,  all  astonishment ; 
"  I  confess " 

Marguerite  shrugged  her  shoulders  contemptuously. 

At  this  instant  a  strange  sound  was  heard,  like  a  sharp 
scratching  at  the  secret  door. 

Marguerite  led  the  king  thither. 

"  Listen/'  said  she. 

"  The  queen-mother  is  leaving  her  apartments,"  said  a 
trembling  voice  outside,  which  Henry  instantly  recognized 
as  that  of  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  Where  is  she  going  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"She  is  coming  to  your  majesty." 

And  then  the  rustling  of  silk  showed  that  Madame  de 
Sauve  was  hastening  rapidly  away. 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  said  Henry. 

"  I  was  sure  of  this,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  And  I,"  replied  Henry,  "  feared  it,  as  this  will  prove." 

And  half  opening  his  doublet  of  black  velvet,  he  showed 
the  queen  that  he  had  beneath  it  a  shirt  of  mail,  and 
a  long  Milan  poniard,  which  instantly  glittered  in  his 
hand. 

"  They  are  needless,"  cried  Marguerite,  "  Quick,  quick, 
sir  1  conceal  that  dagger  ;  'tis  the  queen-mother,  indeed, 
but  the  queen-mother  only." 

«  Yet " 

"  Silence  ! — I  hear  her." 

And  she  whispered  something  in  Henry's  ear,  who 
instantly  hid  himself  behind  the  curtains  of  the  bed. 

Marguerite  sprang  into  the  cabinet,  where  La  Mole 
awaited  her,  and  pressing  his  hand  in  the  darkness — 
"  Silence,"  said  she,  approaching  her  lips  so  near  that  he 
felt  her  breath  ;  "  silence  ! " 

Then,  returning  to  her  chamber,  she  tore  off  her  head- 
dress, cut  the  lace  of  her  dress  with  her  poniard,  and 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  139 

sprang  into  bed.  It  was  time — the  key  turned  in  the  lock. 
Catherine  had  a  key  for  every  door  in  the  Louvre. 

"  Who  is  there  ? "  cried  Marguerite,  as  Catherine  placed 
on  guard  at  the  door  the  four  gentlemen  by  whom  she  was 
attended. 

And,  as  if  frightened  by  this  intrusion  into  her  chamber, 
Marguerite  sprang  out  of  bed  in  a  white  dressing-gown,  and 
then,  seeming  to  recognize  Catherine,  came  to  kiss  her  hand 
with  so  well  feigned  a  surprise  that  the  wily  Florentine 
herself  was  deceived. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CATHERINE   AND  MARGUERITE. 

THE  queen-mother  surveyed  the  chamber  with  eager 
and  curious  eyes  ;  but  the  sight  of  Marguerite's  velvet  slip- 
pers at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  her  vestments  thrown  negligently 
upon  the  chairs,  joined  to  the  well-feigned  drowsiness 
with  which  she  endeavored  to  open  her  eyes,  convinced 
Catherine  that  she  had  really  roused  her  daughter  from 
her  slumbers. 

Smiling,  therefore,  the  self-complacent  smile  of  one 
whose  plan  of  attack  has  been  successful,  she  drew  a  chair 
towards  her,  saying : 

"  Let  us  sit  down,  my  child,  and  have  a  little  talk  to- 
gether." 

"  I  am  all  attention,  madame." 

"  It  is  time,"  said  Catherine,  shutting  her  eyes  and 
speaking  with  that  slowness  peculiar  to  persons  of  great 
reflection  or  equal  dissimulation — "it  is  time,  I  say,  my 
daughter,  that  you  should  know  how  ardently  your  brother 
and  myself  desire  to  see  you  happy." 

This  was  a  somewhat  alarming  exordium  for  those  who 
were  acquainted  with  Catherine's  real  disposition. 

"  What  can  she  be  about  to  say  ?"  thought  Marguerite. 
"  Certainly,"  continued  the  Florentine,  "  in  marrying 

DUMAS — VOL.  III. — 7 


140  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

you,  we  fulfilled  one  of  those  acts  of  policy  frequently 
peremptorily  demanded  for  the  interest  of  the  kingdom  and 
those  who  govern  it ;  but  I  must  honestly  confess  to  you, 
my  poor  child,  that  we  had  no  expectation  that  the  indiffer- 
ence manifested  by  the  King  of  Navarre  for  one  so  young, 
so  lovely  and  fascinating  as  yourself,  would  have  been  so 
obstinately  persisted  in." 

Marguerite  arose,  and  folding  her  robe  de  chambre 
around  her,  curtseyed  with  ceremonious  respect  to  her 
mother. 

'•'  I  have  heard  to-night  only  (otherwise  I  should  have 
paid  you  an  earlier  visit)  that  your  husband  is  far  from 
showing  you  those  attentions  you  have  a  right  to  claim, 
not  merely  as  a  beautiful  woman,  but  as  a  princess  of 
France." 

Marguerite  gently  sighed,  and  Catherine,  encouraged  by 
this  mute  approval ,  proceeded  : 

"  I  am  even  assured  the  King  of  Navarre  has  a  liaison 
with  one  of  my  maids  of  honor,  and  that  he  openly  avows 
his  disgraceful  passion  for  her.  Now,  that  he  should 
despise  the  affection  of  the  superior  being  we  have  bestowed 
upon  him  is  unfortunately  one  of  those  evils  which,  power- 
ful as  we  are,  we  have  no  means  of  remedying  ;  although 
the  meanest  gentleman  of  our  court  would  quickly  demand 
satisfaction  for  so  great  an  insult." 

Marguerite's  eyes  sought  the  ground.  Her  mother  con- 
tinued : 

"  For  some  time  past,  my  daughter,  I  have  been  well 
assured  by  your  red  and  swollen  eyes,  as  well  as  the  bitter- 
ness of  your  sallies  against  Madame  de  Sauve,  that  try  as 
you  would,  your  poor  wounded  heart  is  not  content  to 
bleed  and  break  in  silent  sorrow." 

Marguerite  started — a  slight  movement  shook  the  cur- 
tains of  the  bed,  but,  fortunately,  it  passed  unperceived 
by  Catherine. 

"  Knowing  all  this,  my  beloved  child,"  said  she,  with 
increased  gentleness  and  affection,  "  it  follows,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  that  a  tender  parent  would  seek  to  apply  heal- 
ing balm  to  the  wound  your  heart  has  received.  Have 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

not  those,  therefore  who,  hoping  to  secure  your  happi- 
ness, dictated  your  marriage,  but  who,  now,  to  their  deep 
regret,  discover  that  the  obscure  coarse-minded  boojr  on 
whom  they  bestowed  your  hand  neglects  your  beauty  and 
despises  your  charms,  and  awaits  but  the  first  favorable 
chance  of  separating  himself  from  our  family,  and  thrust- 
ing you  from  his  house — have  not,  I  ask  you,  those  same 
kind  and  watchful  friends  the  right  of  securing  your  inter- 
est by  entirely  dividing  them  from  his,  so  that  your  future 
prospects  may  offer  a  vista  of  greatness  better  suited  to 
your  illustrious  descent  and  surpassing  merits  ?  "- 

"  I  beseech  you,  madame,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  to 
pardon  my  presumption,  in  venturing  to  remark  (after 
observations  so  replete  with  maternal  love,  and  so  calcu- 
lated to  fill  me  with  joy  and  pride,  as  those  you  have  just 
uttered),  that  after  all  your  majesty  has  so  ably  advanced, 
the  King  of  Navarre  is  my  husband/' 

Catherine  started  with  rage — then  drawing  closer  to 
Marguerite  she  said  :  "  He  your  husband  ?  Do  the  few 
words  pronounced  over  you  by  a  priest  warrant  your  styl- 
ing him  your  husband  ?  Ah  !  my  child  !  such  a  state  of 
things  is  a  desecration,  not  a  consecration  of  the  marriage 
ceremony.  Were  you  Madame  de  Sauve,  indeed,  you 
might  make  that  assertion.  But,  wholly  contrary  to  our 
expectations,  directly  we  bestowed  your  hand  on  Henry 
of  Navarre,  he  seemed  more  than  indifferent  towards  you  ; 
permitting  you,  indeed,  to  hold  the  empty  title  of  wife, 
while  another  engrossed  his  time  and  affections.  Come 
with  me.  At  this  very  moment,  even,"  said  Catherine, 
raising  her  voice  :  "  this  key  opens  the  door  of  Madame 
de  Sauve's  apartment — accompany  me  thither,  and  you 
will  gee " 

"Oh,  not  so  loud,  madame! — not  so  loud,  I  beseech 
you  ! "  said  Marguerite  ;  "  for  not  only  are  you  mistaken, 
but " 

"  But,  what  ?  " 

"  I  fear  you  will  awaken  my  husband  ! " 

As  she  said  these  words,  Marguerite  gracefully  arose, 
her  white  dress  fluttering  loosely  around  her,  while  the 


142  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

large  open  sleeves  displayed  her  matchless  hand  and  arm  ; 
carrying  one  of  the  rose-colored  tapers  towards  the  bed, 
she  gently  drew  hack  the  curtain,  and  smiling  signifi- 
cantly at  her  mother,  pointed  to  the  King  of  Navarre, 
who,  stretched  in  easy  negligence  upon  the  couch,  seemed 
buried  in  profound  repose. 

Pale  and  wonder-stricken,  her  body  thrown  back  as 
though  to  avoid  some  abyss  that  had  opened  at  her  feet, 
Catherine  uttered  not  a  cry,  but  a  kind  of  savage  yell. 

"  You  perceive,  madame,"  said  Marguerite,  "you  were 
misinformed." 

Catherine  alternately  gazed  from  her  daughter  to  the 
sleeping  king,  and  again  scrutinized  the  features  of  Mar- 
guerite ;  but  the  countenance  of  the  latter  bore  unshrink- 
ingly the  searching  glances  of  the  queen-mother,  who  bit 
her  thin  lips  with  impotent  rage  at  finding  herself  thus 
baffled.  After  permitting  Catherine  to  contemplate  a  pic- 
ture as  hateful  to  her  as  the  head  of  Medusa,  Marguerite 
let  fall  the  curtain,  and  walking  on  tip-toe  back  to  her 
chair,  resumed  her  place  beside  Catherine,  saying,  "  What 
is  your  opinion  at  present,  madame  ? " 

The  Florentine  again  fixed  her  piercing  looks  on  Mar- 
guerite, as  though  she  would  read  her  very  thoughts  ;  but 
baffled  and  disconcerted  by  the  calm  placidity  of  her  daugh- 
ter's face,  she  rose  in  deep  and  concentrated  fury,  and 
merely  replying,  "  I  have  no  further  opinion  than  that 
already  expressed  !  "  hastened  precipitately  from  the  apart- 
ment. 

No  sooner  had  the  sound  of  her  departing  footsteps  died 
away  in  the  vast  corridor,  than  the  bed-curtains  opened  a 
second  time,  and  Henry,  with  sparkling  eye,  trembling 
hand,  and  panting  breath,  sprung  to  Marguerite's  feet ; 
he  had  hastily  thrown  off  his  velvet  pourpoint,  and 
appeared  merely  in  .his  nether  garments  and  his  coat  of 
mail.  Amid  all  her  alarm  and  agitation,  Marguerite 
could  not  restrain  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  singular  costume 
adopted  by  a  recently  made  husband  tc  pay  a  visit  to  his 
bride's  chamber  ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  she  kindly  and 
warmly  pressed  the  hand  of  him  she  had  so  ably  assisted. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  143 

"Ah,  madame  !  ah,  Marguerite  ! "  exclaimed  the  king, 
"  how  shall  I  ever  repay  your  goodness  ?  " 

"  Sir  !  "  replied  Marguerite,  gently  retreating  from  the 
warmth  of  his  gratitude,  "  have  you  forgotten  that  an  in- 
dividual to  whom  you  owe  your  life  is  at  this  moment  in 
dire  uneasiness  on  your  account  ?  Madame  de  Sanve," 
added  she,  in  a  lower  tone,  "  has  forgotten  her  jealousy 
in  sending  you  to  me  ;  and  to  that  sacrifice  she  may  prob- 
ably have  to  add  her  life,  for  no  one  knows  better  than 
yourself  how  terrible  is  the  anger  of  my  mother." 

Henry  shuddered  ;  and  rising,  was  about  to  quit  the  room. 

"  Upon  second  thoughts,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  see  no 
cause  for  alarm.  The  key  was  given  to  you  without  any 
directions,  and  you  will  be  considered  as  having  given  me 
the  preference  to-night. " 

"And  sol  do,  Marguerite  !     Consent  but  to  forget " 

"Not  so  loud  ! — not  so  loud,  sir  1"  replied  the  queen, 
employing  the  same  words  she  had  a  few  minutes  before 
used  to  her  mother :  "  any  one  in  the  adjoining  cabinet 
can  hear  you.  I  must  beg  of  you  to  use  a  lower  tone." 

"  Oh  !  "said  Henry,  half  smiling,  half  gloomily,  "  that's 
true  !  I  forgot  that  I  was  probably  not  the  person  with 
whom  the  interesting  events  of  to-day  were  to  close  ! 
This  cabinet " 

"  Let  me  beg  of  your  majesty  to  enter  there,"  said 
Marguerite  ;  "  for  I  am  desirous  of  having  the  honor  of 
presenting  to  you  a  brave  gentleman,  wounded  during  the 
massacre,  while  endeavoring  to  make  his  way  to  the  Louvre, 
for  the  purpose  of  apprising  your  majesty  of  the  danger  with 
which  you  were  threatened  " 

The  queen  advanced  towards  the  door,  followed  by  Henry. 
She  opened  it,  and  the  king  was  thunderstruck  at  behold- 
ing a  man  in  this  cabinet,  fated  to  reveal  such  continued 
surprises. 

But,  however  great  the  king's  astonishment,  that  of  La 
Mole,  at  thus  unexpectedly  finding  himself  in  the  presence 
of  Henry  of  Navarre,  was  still  greater.  The  king  cast  an 
ironical  glance  on  Marguerite,  who  bore  it  without  flinch- 
ing. 


144  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  I  am  in  dread  that  this  gentleman 
may  be  murdered  even  here,  in  the  sanctuary  of  my  apart- 
ments ;  he  is  devoted  to  the  service  of  your  majesty,  and 
for  that  reason  I  commend  him  to  your  royal  protection." 

"  Sir,"  continued  the  young  man,  "  I  am  the  Count 
Lerac  de  la  Mole  ;  the  same  your  majesty  expected,  who 
was  so  warmly  recommended  to  you  by  M.  de  Teligny, 
who  was  killed  by  my  side." 

"  Indeed  ! "  replied  Henry  ;  "  is  it  so,  sir  ?  I  remem- 
ber the  queen  gave  me  a  letter  from  that  honorable  gentle- 
man ;  but,  methinks,  if  you  be  the  Count  de  la  Mole,  you 
should  also  be  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  the  Governor  of 
Languedoc." 

"  Your  majesty  is  right :  such  a  paper  was  entrusted  to 
me,  with  earnest  recommendation  to  deliver  it  into  your 
royal  hands  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  And  wherefore  did  you  delay  ?  '•' 

"  Sir,  I  was  at  the  Lonvre  yesterday  evening,  for  that 
purpose  ;but  your  majesty  was  too  much  occupied  to  give 
me  audience." 

"True  !  "  answered  the  king ;  "  but  in  that  case  why 
not  send  the  letter  to  me  ?  " 

"  Because  M.  d'Auriac  had  strictly  charged  me  to  give 
it  into  no  other  hands  than  those  of  your  majesty,  since  it 
contained,  he  said,  information  so  important  that  he  feared 
to  entrust  it  to  any  ordinary  messenger." 

"  The  contents  are,  indeed,  of  a  serious  nature,"  said  the 
king,  when  he  had  received  and  perused  the  letter  ;  "  ad- 
vising my  instant  withdrawal  from  the  court  of  France, 
and  retirement  to  Beam.  M.  d'Auriac,  although  a  Cath- 
olic, was  always  a  stanch  friend  of  mine  ;  and  it  is  possi- 
ble, that  acting  as  governor  of  a  province,  he  got  scent  of 
what  was  in  the  wind  here.  Ventre-saint-gris !  mon- 
sieur !  why  was  not  this  letter  given  to  me  three  days  ago, 
instead  of  now  ?  " 

"  Because,  as  I  before  assured  your  majesty,  that  using 
all  the  speed  and  diligence  in  my  power,  it  was  wholly  im- 
possible to  arrive  before  yesterday. " 

"  That  is  very  unfortunate,"  murmured  the  king  ;  "  for 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  145 

had  you  done  so,  we  should  at  this  time  have  been  in 
security,  either  at  Kochelle,  or  in  some  broad  plain  sur- 
rounded by  two  or  three  thousand  trusty  horsemen." 

"  Sir,"  said  Marguerite,  in  an  undertone,  "  what  is 
done  is  done,  and  instead  of  losing  your  time  in  useless 
recrimination,  it  is  expedient  for  you  to  make  the  best 
arrangement  you  can  for  the  future." 

"  Then,"  replied  Henry,  with  his  usual  glance  of  inter- 
rogation, "lam  to  suppose  that,  in  my  place,  you  would 
not  despair  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not ;  I  should  consider  myself  as  playing 
a  game  of  three  points,  of  which  I  had  lost  only  the  first." 

"Ah,  madame,"  whispered  Henry,  "if  I  durst  but 
hope  that  you  would  go  partners  with  me  in  the  game,  I 
should  indeed  natter  myself  with  hopes  of  success." 

"  Had  I  intended  to  have  sided  with  your  adversaries," 
replied  Marguerite,  "  I  should  scarcely  have  delayed  thus 
long  in  avowing  my  intentions." 

"  True  I"  replied  Henry,  "  and  I  am  very  ungrateful  ; 
but,  as  you  say,  the  past  may  still  be  repaired.  But  ma- 
dame,"  continued  he,  attentively  observing  La  Mole,  "  this 
gentleman  cannot  remain  here  without  causing  you  con- 
siderable inconvenience,  and  being  himself  subject  to  very 
unpleasant  surprises.  What  will  you  do  with  him  ?" 

"  Does  your  majesty  consider  there  will  be  any  diffi- 
culty in  getting  him  out  of  the  Louvre  ? — for  I  am  pre- 
cisely of  your  opinion  as  regards  his  staying." 

"  I  fear  it  will  be  both  difficult  and  dangerous  to  attempt 
such  a  thing  as  procuring  egress  for  the  young  man." 

"Then,  could  not  your  majesty  find  accommodation 
for  M.  de  la  Mole  in  your  own  apartments  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame  !  you  speak  as  though  I  were  still  king 
of  the  Huguenots,  and  had  subjects  to  command.  You  are 
aware  that  I  am  half  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith." 

Any  one  but  Marguerite  would  have  promptly  an- 
swered : 

"  And  he  also  is  a  Catholic."  But  the  queen  wished 
Henry  himself  to  ask  her  to  do  the  very  thing  she  was  de- 
sirous of  effecting ;  while  La  Mole,  perceiving  the  hesi- 
10 


146  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

tation  of  his  protectress,  and  not  knowing  what  to  say  or 
do  in  so  dangerous  a  court  as  was  that  of  France,  remained 
perfectly  silent. 

"  But  what  is  this  the  governor  says  in  his  letter  ?  '  said 
Henry,  again  casting  his  eyes  over  the  missive  he  held  in 
his  hand.  "  He  states  that  your  mother  was  a  Catholic, 
and  from  that  circumstance  originates  the  interest  he  felt 
in  you." 

"  And  what  were  you  telling  me,  M.  le  Comte,  respect- 
ing a  vow  you  had  formed  to  change  your  religion  ?  I 
confess  my  recollection  on  the  subject  is  somewhat  con- 
fused. Have  the  goodness  to  assist  me,  M.  de  la  Mole. 
Did  not-  your  conversation  refer  to  something  of  the 
nature  his  majesty  appears  to  desire  ?" 

"  Alas  !  madame,  what  I  did  say  was  so  coldly  received 
by  your  majesty,  that  I  had  not  the  courage  to  repeat  it." 

"Simply,  because  it  in  no  way  concerned  me,"  an- 
swered Marguerite.  "  But  explain  yourself  to  the  king — 
make  fully  known  what  you  were  desirous  of  stating  to 
me." 

"  What  is  the  vow  you  referred  to  ?  "  asked  the  king. 
"  Let  me  hear." 

"  Sir/'  said  La  Mole,  "  when  pursued  by  assassins,  my- 
self unarmed,  and  almost  expiring  with  pain  and  agony 
from  my  wounds,  I  fancied  I  beheld  the  spirit  of  my 
mother,  holding  a  cross  in  her  hands,  and  guiding  me  to- 
wards the  Louvre.  Under  this  impression,  I  solemnly 
vowed  that  if  my  life  were  preserved,  I  would  adopt  the 
religion  of  my  mother,  who  had  been  permitted  to  leave 
her  grave  to  direct  me  to  a  place  of  safety  during  that 
horrible  night.  Heaven  conducted  me  hither,  where  I  hold 
myself  doubly  secure,  under  the  protection  of  a  princess 
of  France  and  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  and  in  deep  grati- 
tude for  the  miraculous  preservation  vouchsafed  to  me,  I 
am  ready  to  fulfil  my  vow,  and  become  a  Catholic." 

Henry  frowned.  Skeptic  as  he  was,  he  could  well 
understand  a  change  of  religion  from  motives  of  interest ; 
but,  as  a  matter  of  faith  and  conscience,  it  was  wholly 
beyond  his  comprehension. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  It  is  all  over  !  "  thought  Marguerite  ;  "  the  king  evi- 
dently will  have  nothing  to  do  with  my  protege." 

La  Mole  still  remained  a  mute  spectator  of  the  rest  of  a 
scene,  in  which  he  felt,  without  being  able  to  define  why, 
that  he  played  but  a  ridiculous  part.  Marguerite's  tact 
and  woman's  wit  came  again,  happily,  to  his  relief  and 
rescue. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  we  both  forget  that  the  poor  wounded 
gentleman  has  need  of  repose.  For  myself,  I  am  half 
asleep.  See  ! — he  is  growing  pale,  as  though  he  would 
faint." 

La  Mole  did  indeed  turn  pale  ;  but  it  was  at  Mar- 
guerite's last  words,  which  he  had  interpreted  according 
to  his  own  ideas. 

"Well,  madame,"  answered  Henry,  "nothing  can  be 
easier  than  for  you  and  I  to  retire,  and  leave  M.  de  la 
Mole  to  take  the  repose  he  so  much  needs." 

The  young  man  fixed  a  supplicating  look  on  Marguerite, 
and,  spite  of  the  august  presence  in  which  he  stood,  sunk 
upon  a  chair,  overcome  with  fatigue  and  pain.  Mar- 
guerite fully  comprehended  the  passionate  love  contained 
in  that  glance,  the  utter  despair,  in  the  prostration  of 
strength  which  took  from  his  limbs  the  power  of  support- 
ing him. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  your  majesty  is  bound  to  confer  on 
this  young  man,  who  periled  his  life  for  his  king,  since 
it  was  while  coming  hither  to  acquaint  you  with  the  death 
of  the  admiral  and  Teligny  he  received  his  wounds — is 
bound,  I  repeat,  to  confer  on  him  an  honor,  for  which  he 
will  be  ever  grateful." 

"What  is  it,  madame?"  asked  Henry.  "Command 
me — I  am  ready  to  do  whatever  you  dictate." 

"  Tis  to  permit  M.  de  la  Mole  to  repose  to-night  at 
your  majesty's  feet,  while  you,  sir,  can  sleep  on  this  couch. 
With  the  permission  of  my  august  spouse,"  added  Mar- 
guerite, smiling,  "  I  will  summon  Gilloime,  and  return  to 
bed  ;  for  I  can  assure  you  I  am  not  the  least  wearied  of  us 
three." 

Henry   had   shrewd  sense,  and  a  quick  perception  of 


148  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

things  ;  friends  and  enemies  subsequently  found  fault  with 
him  for  possessing  too  much  of  both.  He  fully  admitted 
that  she  who  thus  banished  him  from  the  nuptial  bed  was 
well  justified  in  so  doing  by  the  indifference  he  had  him- 
self manifested  towards  her — and  then,  too,  she  had  just 
repaid  this  indifference  by  saving  his  life  ;  he  therefore 
did  not  allow  his  wounded  self-love  to  dictate  his  answer, 
but  merely  replied  : 

"  If,  madame,  M.  de  la  Mole  were  capable  of  coming  to 
my  apartments,  I  would  give  him  up  my  own  bed." 

"Nay,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  scarcely  deem  that  either 
you  or  he  would  be  in  safety  there  to-night,  and  prudence 
directs  that  your  majesty  should  remain  here  until  the 
morning." 

Then,  without  awaiting  any  farther  reply  from  the  king, 
she  summoned  Gillonne,  and  bade  her  prepare  the  neces- 
sary cushions  for  the  king,  and  to  arrange  a  bed  at  the 
king's  feet  for  M.  de  la  Mole,  who  appeared  so  happy  and 
contented  with  the  honor  done  him,  as  almost  to  forget 
his  wounds. 

Then  Marguerite,  curtseying  low  to  the  king,  passed 
into  the  adjoining  chamber,  the  door  of  which  was  well 
furnished  with  bolts,  and  threw  herself  on  the  bed. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  said  Marguerite,  mentally, 
"that,  to-morrow,  M.  de  la  Mole  must  have  a  protector 
at  the  Louvre  ;  and  he  who,  to-night,  sees  and  hears  noth- 
ing, may  change  his  mind  to-morrow." 

Then,  calling  Gillonne,  she  said  in  a  whisper,  "  Gillonne, 
you  must  contrive  to  bring  my  brother  D'Alen9on  here 
to-morrow  morning  before  eight  o'clock." 

The  loud  peal  of  the  Louvre  clock  chimed  the  second 
hour  after  midnight. 

La  Mole,  after  a  short  parley  with  the  king  on  political 
subjects,  was  left  to  his  own  reflections ;  for  Henry  fell 
asleep  in  the  midst  of  one  of  his  own  speeches,  and  snored 
as  lustily  as  though  he  had  been  reposing  on  his  own 
leathern  couch  in  Beam. 

La  Mole  might  also  have  sunk  into  the  arms  of  sleep, 
but  his  ideas  were  continually  disturbed  and  disarranged 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  149 

by  his  proximity  to  Marguerite,  who,  a  prey  to  restless 
thoughts,  turned  and  re-turned  on  her  pillow  ;  while  the 
mind  of  La  Mole  became  occupied  in  sympathetic  surprise 
as  to  what  could  trouble  the  slumbers  of  one  so  highly 
favored  both  by  nature  and  fortune. 

"  He  is  very  young  and  timid/'  murmured  the  wakeful 
queen  ;  "  but  his  eyes  are  rich  with  manly  expression,  and 
his  form  is  one  of  nobleness  and  beauty ;  'twere  pity  he 
should  turn  out  otherwise  than  brave  and  loyal.  Well, 
well,  'tis  useless  speculating  upon  uncertain  chances  :  the 
affair  has  begun  well,  let  us  hope  it  will  finish  so ;  and 
now  to  commend  myself  to  the  triple  deity  to  whom  that 
madcap  Henriette  pays  homage,  and  court  its  aid  to  pro- 
cure a  visit  from  the  drowsy  god." 

And  as  morning  broke,  Marguerite  fell  asleep,  murmur- 
ing, "Eros,  Cupido,  Amor." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

WHAT  WOMAN   WILLS,    HEAVEN"   WILLS   ALSO. 

MAKGUEKITE  was  right.  The  rage  which  swelled  Cath- 
erine's bosom  at  sight  of  an  expedient  whose  aim  she  per- 
ceived, although  powerless  to  prevent  its  effects,  required 
some  person  on  whom  she  could  freely  vent  it  :  instead, 
therefore,  of  retiring  to  her  own  apartment,  the  queen 
mother  proceeded  to  those  of  her  lady-in-waiting. 

Madame  de  Sauve  was  expecting  two  visits, — one  she 
hoped  to  receive  from  Henry,  and  the  other  she  feared 
was  in  store  for  her  from  the  queen-mother.  Reclining 
on  her  bed  only  partially  undressed,  while  Dariole  kept 
watch  in  the  antechamber,  she  heard  a  key  turn  in  the 
lock,  followed  by  a  slow,  measured  tread,  the  heaviness 
of  which  was  prevented  from  reaching  her  ear  through 
the  thickness  of  the  rich  carpets  over  which  the  newcomer 
passed  ;  but  she  felt  quite  sure  it  was  not  the  light,  eager 
footstep  of  Henry  ;  and  guessing  that  Dariole  had  been 


150  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

prevented  from  coming  to  warn  her  of  the  visitant  who  so 
late  intruded  on  her  repose,  she  lay  with  beating  heart 
and  listening  ear,  awaiting  the  nearer  approach  of  friend 
or  foe,  as  it  might  turn  out. 

The  curtain  which  covered  the  doorway  was  lifted 
aside,  and  Catherine  de  Medicis  appeared.  She  seemed 
calm  ;  but  Madame  de  Sauve,  accustomed  for  two  years 
to  the  study  of  her  crafty  and  deceitful  nature,  well  knew 
what  fatal  designs,  as  well  as  bitter  thoughts  of  cruel  venge- 
ance, might  be  concealed  beneath  that  cold  imperturb- 
able tranquillity  of  look  and  manner. 

At  sight  of  Catherine,  Madame  de  Sauve  was  about  to 
spring  from  her  bed,  but  Catherine  signed  to  her  to  re- 
main where  she  was  ;  and  thus  her  unfortunate  victim 
was  compelled  to  remain  as  though  spell-bound,  vainly 
endeavoring  to  collect  all  strength  to  endure  the  storm 
she  felt  was  breaking  over  her. 

"  Did  you  convey  the  key  to  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 
inquired  Catherine,  in  a  voice  which  differed  not  from  her 
usual  tone  ;  the  only  change  was  in  her  lips,  which  looked 
paler  and  paler  each  instant. 

"  I  did,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte,  in  a  voice  that 
vainly  sought  to  imitate  the  firm,  assured  manner  of 
Catherine. 

"And  have  you  seen  him  ?  " 

"No,  madame  ;  but  I  expect  him  ;  and  when  I  heard 
the  sound  of  a  key  in  the  lock,  I  fully  concluded  it  was  he." 

This  reply,  which  indicated  either  a  blind  confidence  or 
profound  dissimulation  on  the  part  of  Madame  de  Sauve, 
enraged  Catherine  beyond  all  power  of  concealment ;  she 
literally  shook  with  passion,  and  clenching  her  small 
plump  hand,  she  said,  with  a  malignant  smile  : 

"  'Tis  strange,  methinks,  you  should  expect  the  King 
of  Navarre  in  your  apartments,  when  you  perfectly  well 
know  how  unlikely  it  is  he  should  be  here  ! " 

"  How,  madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  repeat,  yon  are  fully  aware  that  this  night  the 
King  of  Navarre  neither  could  nor  would  visit  you." 

"  Nothing  but  death  would  prevent  him,  I  feel  confi- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  151 

dent,"  replied  Charlotte,  urged  to  a  still  more  determined 
dissimulation  by  the  certainty  of  how  bitterly  she  should 
have  to  pay  for  her  deceit,  were  it  discovered. 

"But  did  you  not  write  to  the  king,  my  pretty  Car- 
lotta  ?  "  inquired  Catherine,  with  the  same  cruel  and  un- 
natural smile. 

"  No,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte,  with  well-assumed 
naivet^,  "  I  cannot  recollect  receiving  your  majesty's  com- 
mands to  do  so." 

A  short  silence  followed,  during  which  Catherine  con- 
tinued to  gaze  on  Madame  de  Sauve  as  the  serpent  regards 
the  bird  it  wishes  to  fascinate. 

"  You  think  yourself  a  beauty  and  a  skilful  maneuverer, 
do  you  not  ?  "  asked  Catherine. 

"No,  indeed,  madame,"  answered  Charlotte  ;  "I  only 
remember  that  there  have  been  times  when  your  majesty 
has  been  graciously  pleased  to  commend  both  my  personal 
attractions  and  address." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Catherine,  growing  eager  and  ani- 
mated, "  whatever  I  may  have  said  or  thought,  I  now  de- 
clare that  you  are  but  a  hideous  dolt,  when  compared  to 
my  daughter  Margot." 

"Oh,  madame,"  replied  Charlotte,  "  that  is  a  fact  I 
seek  not  to  deny — least  of  all  in  your  presence." 

"  It  follows,  then,  naturally  enough,  that  the  King  of 
Navarre  prefers  my  daughter  to  you ;  a  circumstance,  I 
presume,  not  to  your  wishes,  and  certainly  not  what  we 
agreed  should  be  the  case." 

"  Alas  !  madame,"  cried  Charlotte,  bursting  into  a  tor- 
rent of  tears  which  now  flowed  from .  no  feigned  source, 
"  if  it  be  so,  I  can  but  say  I  am  very  unfortunate  ! " 

"  Then  take  my  royal  word  for  its  truth,"  repeated 
Catherine,  again  fixing  her  reptile-like  eye  upon  her  vic- 
tim, till  her  words  seemed  to  pierce  her  heart  like  a  two- 
edged  dagger. 

"  But  what  reason  has  your  majesty  for  coming  to  this 
conclusion  ?  " 

"  Proceed  to  the  apartments  of  the  Queen  of  Navarre, 
you  incredulous  simpleton  !  and  you  will  find  your  lover 


152  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

there.  How  like  you  that  ?  Does  it  excite  your  jeal- 
ousy ?  " 

"Me  jealous?"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  recalling  her 
fast-failing  strength  and  courage. 

"  Yes,  you  !  Tell  me  how  you  mean  to  act.  I  have  a 
curiosity  to  see  how  a  Frenchwoman  demonstrates  that 
passion." 

"Nay,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  "  why  should  your  maj- 
esty suppose  I  am  wounded  in  any  other  feeling  than  my 
vanity,  since  all  the  interest  I  feel  in  the  King  of  Navarre 
arises  from  my  wish  to  be  of  service  to  your  majesty." 

Catherine  looked  at  her  with  a  penetrating  glance. 

"  You  may  be  speaking  the  truth,"  said  she.  "  Am  I, 
then,  to  consider  you  as  wholly  devoted  to  my  service  ?  " 

"  Command  me,  madame,  and  judge." 

"  Well,  then,  Carlotta,  if  you  are  really  sincere  in  your 
professions  and  protestations,  you  must  (to  serve  me,  un- 
derstand) affect  the  utmost  affection  for  the  King  of 
Navarre,  and,  above  all,  a  violent  jealousy.  Pretend  to 
be  jealous  as  an  Italian." 

"  And  in  what  manner,  madame,  do  the  Italian  females 
evince  their  jealousy  ?" 

"  I  will  instruct  you,"  replied  Catherine  ;  who,  after 
remaining  some  moments  as  though  striving  to  keep  down 
some  powerful  emotion,  quitted  the  apartment  slowly  and 
noiselessly  as  she  had  entered  it. 

Thankful  to  be  freed  from  the  oppressive  gaze  of  eyes 
that  seemed  to  expand  and  dilate  like  those  of  the  cat  or 
panther,  Charlotte  permitted  her  to  depart  without  at- 
tempting to  utter  a  word  ;  nor  did  she  breathe  freely  till 
Dariole  came  to  tell  her  that  the  terrible  visitant  had  en- 
tirely disappeared.  She  then  bade  the  waiting-maid  to 
bring  an  armchair  beside  her  bed  and  pass  the  night,  fear- 
ing, as  she  said,  to  be  left  alone.  Dariole  obeyed  ;  but, 
despite  the  company  of  her  faithful  attendant,  despite  the 
bright  light  from  a  lamp  illumined  by  her  orders,  Madame 
de  Sauve  remained  in  trembling  expectation  of  Catherine's 
return,  nor  closed  her  eyes  till  the  dawn  of  day. 

Notwithstanding  the  late  hour  at  which  Marguerite's 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  153 

slumbers  had  commenced,  she  awoke  at  the  first  sonnd  of 
the  hunting-horns  and  dogs,  and  instantly  rising,  dressed 
herself  in  a  neglige  too  d  cided  to  escape  observation. 
She  then  summoned  her  maids,  and  caused  the  ordinary 
attendants  of  the  King  of  Navarre  to  be  shown  into  an 
antechamber  adjoining  that  in  which  he  had  passed  the 
night.  Then,  opening  the  door  of  the  chamber  which 
contained  both  Henry  and  De  la  Mole,  she  cast  an  affec- 
tionate glance  on  the  latter,  and  said  to  her  husband  : 

"  It  is  not  sufficient,  sir,  to  have  persuaded  my  royal 
mother  that  matters  are  different  from  what  they  seem  ; 
you  must  also  impress  upon  your  whole  court  the  most 
perfect  belief  in  the  good  understanding  existing  between 
us.  But  make  yourself  quite  easy/'  added  she,  laugMrig, 
"an"  remember  my  words,  rendered  the  more  impressive 
by  the  circumstances  under  which  I  utter  them,  to-day  is 
the  very  last  time  your  majesty  will  be  subjected  to  so 
severe  a  trial." 

Henry  smiled,  and  desired  that  the  officers  of  his  suite 
should  be  admitted  ;  but  at  the  very  moment  of  returning 
their  salutation,  he  feigned  suddenly  to  recollect  having 
left  his  mantle  on  the  queen's  bed,  begged  their  excuse 
for  receiving  them  ere  fully  dressed ;  then,  taking  his 
mantle  from  the  hands  of  Marguerite,  who  stood  blushing 
by  his  side,  he  clasped  it  on  his  shoulder.  Next,  turning 
to  his  gentlemen,  he  carelessly  inquired  what  was  stirring 
abroad. 

Marguerite's  quick  eye  readily  caught  the  expression  of 
utter  astonishment  impressed  on  every  countenance  at  the 
sight  of  the  excellent  terms  on  which  herself  and  the  King 
of  Navarre  were  ;  and,  ere  they  had  recovered  from  it,  an 
attendant  entering,  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Duke 
d'Aleii9on,  with  three  or  four  officers  of  his  suite. 

Gillonne  had  required  no  other  means  to  draw  him 
thither,  than  the  information  of  the  king  having  passed 
the  night  in  the  queen's  apartments  ;  and  so  hurried  was 
the  manner  of  Franqois  in  entering,  that  he  narrowly  es- 
caped knocking  against  every  person  he  met  in  his  way. 
His  first  glance  was  directed  to  Henry  ;  his  next,  to  Mar- 


154  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

guerite.  The  former  replied  to  him  by  a  courteous  salu- 
tation, while  the  calm,  composed  features  of  Marguerite 
exhibited  the  utmost  serenity  and  happiness. 

Again  the  sharp  scrutiny  of  the  duke  traveled  round 
the  chamber,  and  he  quickly  observed  the  two  pillows 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  the  derangement  of  its 
tapestried  coverings,  and  the  king's  plumed  hat  carelessly 
thrown  on  a  chair  beside  it. 

At  this  sight  his  color  forsook  his  cheeks,  but  quickly 
recovering  himself,  he  said  : 

"  Does  my  royal  brother  Henry  join  this  morning  with 
the  king  in  his  game  of  tennis  ?  " 

"Does  his  majesty  do  me  the  honor  to  select  me  as 
his  partner  ?"  inquired  Henry,  "  or  is  it  only  a  little  atten- 
tion on  your  own  part,  my  kind  brother-in-law  ?  " 

"  His  majesty  has  not  so  said,  certainly,"  replied  the 
duke,  somewhat  embarrassed  ;  "but  as  you  play  with  him 
so  habitually,  I  considered " 

Henry  smiled,  for  so  many  and  such  serious  events  had 
occurred  since  he  last  played  with  the  king,  that  he  would 
not  have  been  astonished  to  learn  that  the  king  had 
changed  his  habitual  companions  at  the  game. 

"I  shall  certainly  join  the  king  in  his  sport,"  said 
Henry,  with  a  smile. 

"Then  come,"  cried  the  duke. 

"  Are  you  going  away  ?  "  inquired  Margaret. 

"  Yes,  my  sweet  sister  !  " 

"  Are  you  in  great  haste  to  be  gone  ?  " 

"  In  very  great  ! " 

"  Might  I  venture  to  ask  you  to  grant  me  a  few  minutes 
ere  you  depart  ?  " 

So  strange  and  wholly  unaccustomed  a  demand  from 
Marguerite  filled  D'Alen9on  with  a  vague  and  uneasy 
feeling  of  something  to  be  apprehended,  and  his  color 
changed  rapidly  from  a  deep  flush  to  the  palest  hue. 

"What  can  she  be  going  to  say  to  him  ?"  thought 
Henry,  taken  as  much  by  surprise  as  the  duke  himself. 

Marguerite  quietly  proceeded  to  the  door  of  the  cabinet, 
and  beckoned  forth  the  wounded  man,  saying  to  Henry : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  155 

"It  is  for  your  majesty  to  explain  to  my  brother  the 
reason  for  our  taking  an  interest  in  M.  de  la  Mole." 

And  Henry,  caught  in  the  snare  so  cleverly  laid  by  Mar- 
guerite, briefly  related  to  M.  d'Alen9on  half  a  Protestant 
for  the  sake  of  opposition,  as  he  himself  was  partly  a 
Catholic  from  prudence,  the  arrival  of  M.  de  la  Mole  at 
Paris,  and  how  the  young  man  had  been  severely  wounded, 
while  bringing  to  him  a  letter  from  M.  d'Auriac. 

As  the  duke  turned  round  after  listening  to  this  recital, 
he  perceived  the  hero  of  the  tale  standing  before  him. 

At  the  sight  of  his  pale  handsome  countenance,  rendered 
still  more  captivating  by  the  marks  of  recent  weakness  and 
suffering,  a  fresh  feeling  of  anger  and  distrust  shot  through 
his  heart. 

"  Brother/5  said  Marguerite,  after  she  had  well  observed 
the  various  changes  of  D'Alencon's  countenance,  "  I  will 
engage  for  this  young  gentleman,  that  he  will  render 
himself  serviceable  to  whomsoever  may  employ  him. 
Should  you  accept  his  services,  he  will  obtain  a  powerful 
protector,  and  you  a  faithful,  zealous  servitor.  In  such 
times  as  the  present,  brother,"  continued  she,  "  we  cannot 
be  too  well  surrounded  by  devoted  friends:  more  especially," 
added  she,  lowering  her  voice  so  as  to  be  heard  only  by 
the  duke,  "  when  one  is  ambitious,  and  has  the  misfortune 
to  be  only  third  in  the  succession  to  the  throne." 

Then,  placing  her  finger  significantly  on  her  lip,  she 
intimated  to  D'Alenqon  that  she  had  not  revealed  the 
whole  of  her  views  and  ideas  on  the  subject,  but  had  the 
most  important  part  still  buried  within  her  own  breast. 

"Perhaps,"  added  she,  "you  may  differ  from  Henry, 
in  considering  it  not  decorous  or  befitting  that  this  young 
gentleman  should  remain  so  immediately  in  the  vicinity  of 
my  apartments." 

"  Sister,"  replied  Fra^ois,  "  if  it  meet  your  wishes,  M. 
de  la  Mole  shall,  in  half  an  hour,  be  installed  in  my  apart- 
ments, where,  I  think,  he  can  have  no  cause  to  fear  any 
danger.  Let  him  try  to  win  my  affection,  and  I  promise 
him  he  shall  obtain  it." 

"  Excellent,"  murmured  Marguerite  to  herself,  as  she 


156  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

saw  the  frown  that  hung  over  the  brow  of  the  King  of 
Navarre.  "Ah,  I  see  plainly  enough,  that  to  lead  you 
both  as  I  would  have  you  go,  it  is  necessary  to  make  one 
lead  the  other." 

And  in  half  an  hour  after  this,  La  Mole,  having  been 
gravely  lectured  by  Marguerite,  kissed  the  hem  of  her 
robe,  and  descended  to  the  apartments  of  D'Alengon  with 
a  step  wondrously  light  and  agile  for  one  who  had  been 
so  recently  wounded. 

Several  days  passed  away,  and  appeared  still  further 
to  consolidate  the  harmony  apparently  existing  between 
Henry  and  his  wife. 

Henry  had  obtained  permission  not  to  make  a  public 
renunciation  of  his  religion  ;  but  he  had  formally  recanted 
in  the  presence  of  the  king's  confessor,  and  every  day 
went  openly  to  mass. 

At  midnight  he  took  ostensibly  the  road  to  his  wife's 
apartments,  entered  by  the  principal  door,  and  after 
remaining  some  time  in  conversation  with  her,  quitted  by 
the  secret  door,  and  ascended  to  the  chamber  of  Madame 
de  Sauve,  who  had  duly  informed  him  of  the  visit  of  the 
queen-mother,  as  well  as  the  imminent  danger  which  so 
seriously  threatened  him.  Thus  warned  and  protected  on 
both  sides,  Henry  redoubled  his  mistrust  and  his  caution 
against  Catherine,  and  this  with  a  deeper  impression  of 
such  a  line  of  proceeding  being  necessary,  as  the  queen- 
mother  had  lately  bestowed  smiles  instead  of  frowns  on 
him,  and  addressed  him  wi'h  words  of  studied  cordiality. 

Though  the  massacres  still  continued,  their  extent  and 
violence  were  naturally  lessened,  anc  bade  fair  soon  to  end  ; 
for  so  great  had  been  the  butchery  of  the  Huguenots,  that 
the  supply  began  to  fail,  and  fresh  victims  were  not 
easily  found.  The  greater  part  of  those  unfortunate 
people  were  already  sacrificed.  Many  had  found  safety  in 
flight,  and  others  were  in  concealment.  Occasionally  a 
great  outcry  would  arise  in  some  neighborhood  in  which 
a  fresh  object  of  popular  fury  was  discovered  ;  and  the 
execution  was  either  public  or  private,  according  as  the 
spot  was  either  a  confined  one  or  admitted  of  escape. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  157 

Charles  the  Ninth  had  taken  great  pleasure  in  hunting 
down  the  Huguenots,  and  when  he  could  no  longer  continue 
the  chase  himself,  he  took  delight  in  the  noise  of  others 
hunting. 

One  day,  returning  from  playing  at  mall,  which  with 
tennis  and  hunting  were  his  favorite  amusements,  he  went 
to  his  mother's  apartments  in  high  spirits,  followed  by  his 
usual  train  of  courtiers. 

"  Mother,"  he  said,  embracing  the  Florentine,  who,  ob- 
serving his  joy,  endeavored  to  detect  its  cause,  "  mother, 
good  news  !  Mort  de  tous  les  diables  !  Do  you  know 
that  the  illustrious  carcass  of  the  admiral,  which  it  was 
said  was  lost,  has  been  found  ?  " 

"  Ah,  ah  I"  said  Catherine. 

"Oh,  mon  Dieu !  yes.  You  thought  as  I  did,  mother, 
the  dogs  had  eaten  a  wedding  dinner  off  him  ;  but  it  was 
not  so.  My  people,  my  dear  people,  my  good  people,  had 
a  clever  idea,  and  have  hung  the  admiral  up  at  the  gibbet 
of  Montfaucon." 

"  Well !  "  said  Catherine. 

"Well,  good  mother,"  replied  Charles  IX.,  "I  have  a 
strong  desire  to  see  him  again,  dear  old  man,  now  I 
know  he  is  really  dead  !  It  is  very  fine,  and  the  flowers 
seem  to  smell  very  sweet  to-day.  The  air  is  full  of 
life  and  perfume,  and  I  feel  better  than  I  ever  did. 
If  you  like,  mother,  we  will  get  on  horseback,  and  go  to 
Montfaucon." 

"  Willingly,  my  son,"  said  Catherine,  "if  I  had  not  an 
appointment  that  I  cannot  defer  ;  and  beside,  to  pay  a 
visit  to  a  man  of  such  importance  as  the  admiral,  we 
should  assemble  the  whole  court.  It  will  be  an  occasion 
for  observers  to  make  very  curious  observations.  We  shall 
eee  who  comes  and  who  stays  away." 

"  Ma  foil  you  are  right,  mother,  and  it  will  be  better 
to-morrow  ;  so  send  out  your  invitations,  and  I  will  send 
mine ;  or,  rather,  do  not  let  us  invite  any  one.  We  will 
only  say  we  are  going,  and  then  every  one  will  be  free  to 
do  as  they  please.  Adieu,  mother  !  I  am  going  to  play 
on  the  horn." 


158  MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS. 

"  You  will  exhaust  yourself,  Charles,  as  Ambroise  Par6 
is  always  telling  you  ;  and  he  is  right.  It  is  too  trying  an 
exercise  for  you." 

"  Bah  !  bah  !  bah  ! "  said  Charles  ;  "  I  wish  I  was 
sure  nothing  else  would  kill  me  ;  I  would  then  bnry  every- 
body here,  including  Harry,  who  will  one  day  succeed  us 
all — as  Nostradamus  prophesies." 

Catherine  frowned. 

"  My  son,"  she  said,  "  mistrust  more  especially  all  things 
that  appear  impossible,  and  in  the  meanwhile  take  care  of 
yourself." 

"  Only  two  or  three  blasts  to  rejoice  my  dogs,  who  are 
wearied  to  death  with  doing  nothing,  poor  things  !  I 
ought  to  have  let  them  loose  on  the  Huguenots  ;  that 
would  have  done  them  good  ! "  And  Charles  IX.  left  his 
mother's  apartment,  went  into  his  armory,  took  down  a 
horn,  and  sounded  it  with  a  vigor  that  would  have  done 
honor  to  Roland  himself.  It  was  difficult  to  understand 
how  so  weak  a  frame  and  such  pale  lips  could  blow  a 
blast  so  powerful. 

Catherine,  in  truth  was  awaiting  some  one,  as  she  had 
told  her  son.  A  minute  after  he  had  left  her,  one  of  her 
women  came  and  spake  to  her  in  a  low  voice.  The  queen 
smiled,  rose,  and  saluting  the  persons  who  formed  her 
court,  followed  the  messenger. 

Ren6  the  Florentine,  he  to  whom,  on  the  eve  of  St. 
Bartholomew,  the  King  of  Navarre  had  given  so  diplo- 
matic a  reception,  entered  the  oratory. 

"  Ah  !  is  it  you  Rene  ?  "  said  Catherine.  "  Have  you 
renewed,  as  I  desired,  the  trial  of  the  horoscope  d:  .^,wn  by 
Ruggieri,  and  which  agrees  so  well  with  the  prophecy  of 
Nostradamus,  which  says  that  all  my  three  sons  shall 
reign  ?" 

"  Yes,  madame,"  replied  Rene  ;  "  for  it  is  my  duty  to 
obey  you  in  all  things." 

«  Well— and  the  result  ?  " 

"  Still  the  same,  madame." 

"  What,  the  black  lamb  has  uttered  three  cries  ?  * 

"  Precisely,  madame." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  159 

.  "  The  sign  of  three  cruel  deaths  in  my  family,"  mur- 
mured Catherine. 

"Alas  I"  said  Rene. 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  Then,  madame,  there  was  in  its  entrails  that  strange 
displacing  of  the  liver,  which  we  had  already  observed  in 
the  two  first." 

"  A  change  of  dynasty  still — still — still  ! "  muttered 
Catherine  ;  "  yet  this  must  be  changed,  ReneV'she  added. 

Rene  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  told  your  majesty,"  he  said,  "  that  destiny 
rules  all." 

"  Is  that  your  opinion  ?  "  asked  Catherine. 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Do  you  remember  D'Albret's  horoscope  ?  " 

"Yes,  madame." 

"  Let  us  repeat  it,  and  once  more  consider  it.  I  have 
quite  forgotten  it.  Repeat  it  to  me,  good  Rene\" 

"  Vives  honorata,"  said  Rene,  "  tnorieris  reformidata, 
regina  amplijicabere." 

"Which  means,  I  believe,"  said  Catherine,  "Thou 
shalt  live  honored — and  she  lacked  common  necessaries  ; 
Thou  shalt  die  feared — and  we  laughed  at  her  ;  Thou  shalt 
be  greater  than  thou  hast  been  as  a  queen — and  she  is  dead, 
and  sleeps  in  a  tomb,  on  which  we  have  not-even  engraved 
her  name." 

"  Madame,  your  majesty  does  not  translate  the  vives 
honorata  rightly.  The  Queen  of  Navarre  lived  honored  ; 
for  all  her  life  she  enjoyed  the  love  of  her  children,  the 
respect  of  her  partisans  ;  respect  and  love  all  the  more 
sincere  in  that  she  was  poor." 

"  Yes,"  said  Catherine,  "  I  pass  over  the  vives  honorata  ; 
but  morieris  reformidata :  how  will  you  explain  that  ?  " 

"  Nothing  more  easy  :  Thou  shalt  die  feared." 

«  Well— did  she  die 'feared  ?  " 

"  So  much  so,  that  she  would  not  have  died  had  not 
your  majesty  feared  her.  Then — As  a  queen  thou  shalt  be 
greater  ;  or,  Thou  shalt  be  greater  than  thou  hast  been  as  a 
queen.  This  is  equally  true,  madame ;  for  in  exchange 


160  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

for  a  terrestrial  crown,  she  has  doubtless,  as  a  queen  and 
martyr,  a  celestial  crown  ;  and,  besides,  who  knows  what 
the  future  may  reserve  for  her  posterity  ?  " 

Catherine  was  superstitious  to  an  excess  ;  she  was  more 
alarmed  at  Renews  cool  pertinacity  than  at  the  pertinacity 
of  the  augtiries  ;  and  she  said  suddenly  to  him,  with- 
out any  other  transition  than  the  working  of  her  own 
thoughts  : 

"  Are  any  Italian  perfumes  arrived  ?  " 

"Yes,  madame." 

"  Send  me  a  box  full." 

"  Of  which?" 

"  Of  the  last,  of  those " 

Catherine  stopped. 

"Of  those  the  Queen  of  Navarre  was  so  fond  of  ?" 
asked  Ren6. 

"Exactly." 

"  I  need  not  prepare  them,  for  your  majesty  is  now  as 
skilful  at  them  as  myself." 

"  You  think  so  ?  "  said  Catherine.  "  They  certainly 
do  succeed." 

' '  Your  majesty  has  nothing  more  to  say  to  me  ?  "  asked 
the  perfumer. 

"  Nothing,"  replied  Catherine,  thoughtfully  ;  "  only  if 
there  is  any  change  in  the  sacrifices,  let  me  know  it  in 
time.  Let  us  leave  the  lambs,  and  try  the  hens." 

"  Alas  !  madame,  I  fear  that  in  changing  the  victim  we 
shall  not  change  the  presages." 

"Do  as  I  tell  you." 

The  perfumer  bowed  and  left  the  apartment. 

Catherine  mused  for  a  short  time,  then  rose,  and  re- 
turning to  her  bedchamber,  where  her  women  awaited  her, 
announced  the  pilgrimage  to  Montfaucon  for  the  morrow. 

The  news  of  this  party  of  pleasure  threw  the  palace  and 
city  into  no  small  bustle  :  the  ladies  prepared  their  most 
elegant  toilettes  ;  the  gentlemen  their  finest  arms  and 
steeds  ;  the  tradesmen  closed  their  shops,  and  the  popu- 
lace killed  a  few  straggling  Huguenots,  in  order  to  furnish 
company  to  the  dead  admiral 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  161 

La  Mole  had  passed  a  miserable  day,  and  this  miserable 
day  had  followed  three  or  four  others  equally  miserable. 
M.  d'Alen9on,  to  please  his  sister,  had  installed  him  in 
his  apartments,  but  had  not  since  seen  him  ;  he  felt  him- 
self like  a  poor  deserted  child,  deprived  of  the  tender 
cares,  the  soothing  attentions  of  two  women,  the  recollec- 
tions of  one  of  whom  occupied  him  perpetually.  He  had 
heard  of  her  through  Ambroise  Pare,  whom  she  had  sent 
to  him,  but  Ambroise  was  an  old  fellow  to  whom  he  could 
not  talk  of  his  passion.  Gilloune,  indeed,  had  come  once, 
as  if  of  her  own  accord,  to  ask  after  him,  and  the  visit  was 
to  him  like  a  sunbeam  darting  into  a  dungeon,  but  Gil- 
lonne  had  not  repeated  it. 

As  soon,  then,  as  he  heard  of  this  splendid  assemblage 
of  the  court  on  the  morrow,  La  Mole  requested  of  M. 
d'AlenQon  the  favor  of  being  allowed  to  accompany  it. 
The  duke  did  not  even  trouble  himself  to  inquire  whether 
La  Mole  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  bear  the  fatigue,  but 
merely  answered  . 

"  Humph  !  well,  let  him  have  one  of  my  horses." 

This  was  all  La  Mole  wanted  ;  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare 
came  to  dress  his  wounds,  and  La  Mole  explained  to  him 
the  necessity  he  was  under  of  mounting  on  horseback, 
and  prayed  him  to  dress  his  wounds  with  more  than  usual 
care. 

The  two  wounds  were  closed,  both  that  on  the  breast 
and  that  on  the  shoulder,  and  the  latter  alone  pained  him. 
They  were  both  in  a  fair  way  of  healing  ;  Maitre  Ambroise 
Par6  covered  them  with  gummed  taffetas,  a  remedy  greatly 
in  vogue  then,  and  promised  La  Mole  that  if  he  did  not 
exert  himself  too  much,  everything  would  go  well ;  La 
Mole  next  employed  a  part  of  the  money  he  had  received 
when  he  left  his  family  in  purchasing  a  very  handsome 
white  satin  doublet,  and  one  of  the  richest  embroidered 
cloaks  he  could  procure.  He  also  bought  a  pair  of  boots 
of  perfumed  leather,  worn  at  that  period.  He  dressed 
himself  quickly,  looked  in  his  glass,  and  found  that  he 
was  suitably  attired,  arranged,  and  perfumed. 

Whilst  he  was  thus  engaged  in  the  Louvre,  another 
ii 


162  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

scene,  of  a  similar  kind,  was  going  on  at  the  Hdtel  de  Guise. 
A  tall  gentleman,  with  red  hair,  was  examining,  before  a 
glass,  a  red  mark,  which  went  across  his  face  very  disagree- 
ably ;  he  colored  and  perfumed  his  moustache,  and  as  he 
did  so,  in  vain  tried  to  conceal  this  wheal ;  in  spite  of  all 
the  cosmetics  applied,  it  would  still  appear.  The  gentle- 
man then  put  on  a  magnificent  dress  which  a  tailor  had 
brought  to  his  apartment  without  any  commands  from 
him.  Thus  attired,  scented,  and  armed  from  head  to  foot, 
he  descended  the  staircase,  and  began  to  pat  a  large  black 
horse,  whose  beauty  would  have  been  matchless,  but  for  a 
small  scar  in  the  flank,  caused  by  a  sword  wound. 

Yet,  enchanted  with  the  good  steed  as  he  found  him, 
the  gentleman,  whom,  no  doubt,  our  readers  have  recog- 
nised, was  soon  on  his  back,  and  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
showed  off  in  the  court  of  the  H6tel  de  Guise  his  skill  as 
a  horseman,  amidst  the  neighings  of  his  courser,  and  Mor- 
dis  out  of  all  number.  Then  the  good  steed,  completely 
subdued,  recognized  by  his  obedience  and  subjection  the 
control  of  the  cavalier,  but  the  victory  had  not  been  ob- 
tained without  noise,  and  this  noise  had  drawn  to  the 
windows  a  lady,  whom  the  cavalier  saluted  respectfully, 
and  who  smiled  at  him  in  the  most  agreeable  manner. 
Turning  then  towards  her  first  gentleman  : 

"M.  d'Arguzon,"  she  said,  "let  us  set  out  for  the 
Louvre,  and  keep  an  eye,  I  beg,  on  the  Comte  Anuibal  de 
Coconnas,  for  he  is  wounded,  and  consequently  still  weak  ; 
and  I  would  not  for  all  the  world  any  accident  should  hap- 
pen to  him.  That  would  make  the  Huguenots  laugh,  for 
they  owe  him  a  spite  since  the  blessed  night  of  Saint 
Bartholomew." 

And  Madame  de  Nevere,  mounting  her  horse,  went  joy- 
fully towards  the  Louvre,  which  was  tne  general 
vous. 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  163 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

THE  BODY  OF  A  DEAD  EKElfY  ALWAYS  SMELLS  SWEET. 

IT  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  file  of  cava- 
liers, glittering  with  gold,  jewels,  and  splendid  garments, 
appeared  in  the  Kue  Saint-Denis. 

Nothing  can  be  imagined  more  splendid  than  this  spec- 
tacle. The  rich  and  elegant  silk  dresses,  bequeathed  as  a 
splendid  fashion  by  Fran£ois  I.  to  his  successors,  had  not 
yet  been  changed  into  those  formal  and  sombre  vestments 
which  came  into  fashion  under  Henry  III.  ;  so  that  the 
costume  of  Charles  IX.,  less  rich,  but  perhaps  more  ele- 
gant than  those  of  preceding  reigns,  displayed  its  perfect 
harmony.  Pages,  esquires,  gentlemen  of  low  degree,  dogs, 
and  horses — all  were  there,  and  formed  of  the  royal  cor- 
t6ge  an  absolute  army.  Behind  this  army  came  the  people, 
or  rather  the  people  were  everywhere. 

That  morning,  in  presence  of  Catherine,  and  the  Dnke 
de  Guise,  Charles  had,  as  a  perfectly  natural  thing,  spoken 
before  Henry  of  Navarre  of  going  to  visit  the  gibbet  of 
Montfaucon,  or  rather,  the  mutilated  corpse  of  the  admiral, 
which  had  been  suspended  to  it.  Henry's  first  movement 
had  been  to  dispense  with  accompanying  them  ;  this  Cath- 
erine had  expected  at  the  first  words  he  said,  expressing 
his  repugnance,  and  she  exchanged  a  glance  and  a  smile 
with  the  Duke  de  Guise ;  Henry  surprised  both  and  un- 
derstood them,  then  suddenly  turning  round,  he  said  : 

"  But  why  should  I  not  go  ?  I  am  a  Catholic,  and  am 
bound  to  my  new  religion." 

Then,  addressing  the  king  : 

"  Your  majesty  may  reckon  on  my  company/'  he  said  ; 
"  and  I  shall  be  always  happy  to  accompany  you  where- 
soever you  may  go  ; "  and  he  threw  a  sweeping  glance 
around,  to  see  whose  brows  might  be  frowning. 

DUMAS— VOL.  HI.— 8 


164:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

And,  perhaps  of  all  this  cortege,  the  person  who  was 
looked  at  with  the  greatest  curiosity  was  this  son  without 
a  "mother — this  king  without  a  kingdom — this  Huguenot 
turned  Catholic.  His  long  and  marked  countenance,  his 
somewhat  vulgar  figure,  his  familiarity  with  his  inferiors, 
which  he  carried  to  a  degree  almost  derogatory  to  a  king 
— a  familiarity  acquired  by  the  mountaineer  habits  of  his 
youth,  and  which  he  preserved  till  his  death — marked  him 
out  to  the  spectators,  some  of  whom  cried  : 

"  To  mass,  Harry  !  to  mass  I" 

To  which  Henry  replied  : 

"  I  attended  it  yesterday,  to-day,  and  I  shall  attend  it 
again  to-morrow.  Venire  saint-gris !  surely  that  is 
sufficient." 

Marguerite  was  on  horseback — so  lovely,  so  fresh,  so 
elegant,  that  she  was  the  admired  of  all  admirers,  al- 
though the  Duchess  de  Nevers  shared  some  portion  of  the 
general  approval. 

"  "Well,  duchess  I"  said  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  "  what 
news  ?  " 

"  Why,  Madame/'  replied  the  duchess,  aloud,  "  I  know 
of  none."  Then  in  a  lower  tone  :  "  And  what  has  become 
of  the  Huguenot?" 

"  I  have  found  him  a  retreat  almost  safe/'  replied  Mar- 
guerite ;  "  and  the  wholesale  murderer,  what  have  you 
done  with  him  ?  " 

"  He  wished  to  be  present,  and  so  we  mounted  him  on 
M.  de  Nevers's  war-horse,  a  creature  as  big  as  an  elephant. 
He  is  a  fearful  cavalier.  I  allowed  him  to  be  present  to- 
day, as  I  felt  that  your  Huguenot  would  be  prudent 
enough  to  keep  his  chamber,  and  that  there  was  no  fear 
of  their  meeting." 

"Oh,  mafoi!"  replied  Marguerite,  smiling,  "  if  he 
were  here,  and  he  is  not,  I  do  not  think  a  rencontre  would  en- 
sue. My  Huguenot  is  remarkably  handsome,  but  nothing 
more — a  dove,  and  not  a  hawk  ;  he  coos,  but  does  not 
rend  in  pieces.  After  all,"  she  added,  with  a  gesture  im- 
possible to  describe,  and  shrugging  her  shoulders  slightly  ; 
"  after  all,  perhaps,  our  king  thought  him  a  Huguenot, 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  165 

whilst  he  is  only  a  Brahmin,  and  his  religion  forbids  him 
to  shed  blood." 

"  But  where,  then,  is  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  ? "  inquired 
Henriette  ;  "  I  do  not  see  him." 

"Why,  at  this  moment  there  are  shouts  down  there. 
It  is  he,  doubtless,  who  is  passing  the  Porte-Mont- 
martre," 

"  Yes  ;  it  is  he,  and  he  seems  in  good  spirits  to-day," 
said  Henriette  ;  "  he  is  in  love,  perchance  ;  and  see  how 
nice  it  is  to  be  a  prince  of  the  blood  :  he  gallops  over  every- 
body, and  everybody  draws  on  one  side." 

"  Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  laughing,  "he  will  ride  over 
TIS.  But  draw  your  attendants  on  one  side,  duchess,  for 
one  of  them  will  be  killed  :  he  does  not  give  way." 

"  It  is  my  hero! "  cried  the  duchess;  "  look,  only  look  ! " 

Coconnas  had  quitted  his  rank  to  approach  the  Duchess 
de  Nevers,  but  at  the  moment  when  his  horse  was  cross- 
ing the  kind  of  exterior  boulevard  which  separates  the 
street  from  the  Faubourg  Saint-Denis,  a  cavalier  of  the 
suite  of  the  Duke  d'Alenqon,  trying  in  vain  to  rein  in  his 
excited  horse,  dashed  full  against  Coconnas,  who,  shaken 
by  the  collision,  well-nigh  lost  his  seat;  his  hat  nearly  fell 
off,  and  as  he  put  it  on  firmer,  he  turned  round  furiously. 

"  Dieu!  "  said  Marguerite,  in  a  low  tone,  to  her  friend, 
"  M.  de  la  Mole  !  " 

"  That  handsome  pale  young  man  ? "  exclaimed  the 
duchess,  unable  to  repress  her  first  impression. 

"Yes,  yes  ;  he  who  nearly  upset  your  Piedmontese." 

"Oh,"  said  the  duchess,  "something  terrible  will  hap- 
pen !  they  look  at  each  other — recollect  each  other  !  " 

Coconnas  had  indeed  recognized  La  Mole,  and  in  his 
surprise  dropped  his  bridle,  for  he  believed  he  had  killed 
his  old  companion,  or  at  least  put  him  hors  de  combat  for 
some  time.  La  Mole  had  also  recognized  Coconnas,  and 
all  his  blood  rushed  up  into  his  face.  For  some  seconds, 
which  sufficed  for  the  expression  of  all  the  sentiments 
which  these  two  men  felt  towards  each  other,  they  gazed 
on  one  another  in  a  way  that  frightened  the  two  women. 

After  which,  La  Mole  having  looked   about  him,  and 


166  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

seeing  that  the  place  was  ill  chosen  for  any  explanation, 
spurred  his  horse  and  rejoined  the  Duke  d'Alen9on.  Co- 
connas  remained  stationary  for  a  moment,  twisting  his 
mustache  until  the  point  almost  entered  his  eye  ;  then, 
seeing  La  Mole  dash  off  without  a  word,  he  did  the  same. 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  Marguerite,  with  painful  contempt, 
"  I  was  not  deceived,  then  ! — it  is  really  too  much  ; "  and 
she  bit  her  lips  till  the  blood  came. 

"  He  is  very  handsome,"  added  the  Duchess  de  Nevers, 
with  commiseration. 

Just  at  this  moment  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  reached  his 
place  behind  the  king  and  the  queen-mother,  so  that 
his  suite,  in  following  him,  were  obliged  to  pass  before 
Marguerite  and  the  Duchess  de  Nevers.  La  Mole,  as  he 
passed,  raised  his  hat,  saluted  the  queen,  and,  bowing  to 
his  horse's  neck,  remained  uncovered  until  her  majesty 
should  honor  him  with  a  look. 

But  Marguerhe  turned  her  head  aside  disdainfully. 

La  Mole,  no  doubt,  comprehended  the  contemptuous 
expression  of  the  queen's  features,  and  from  pale  he  be- 
came livid,  and  that  he  might  not  fall  from  his  horse,  was 
compelled  to  hold  on  by  the  mane. 

"Ah,  ah  !"  said  Henriette  to  the  queen ;  "look,  cruel 
that  you  are  ! — he  is  going  to  faint." 

"  Good,"  said  the  queen,  with  a  smile  of  disdain  ;  "  it 
only  needs  that.  Where  are  your  salts  ?" 

Madame  de  Nevers  was  mistaken.  La  Mole,  with  an 
effort,  recovered  himself,  and,  sitting  erect  on  his  horse, 
took  his  place  in  the  Duke  d'Alen9on's  suite. 

As  they  went  forward,  they  at  length  saw  the  fearful 
outline  of  the  gibbet,  erected  and  first  used  by  Enguer- 
rand  de  Marigny. 

The  guards  advanced  and  formed  a  large  ring  round 
the  spot  ;  at  their  approach,  the  crows  perched  on  the 
gibbet  flew  away,  croaking  and  angry. 

The  crowd  advanced  ;  the  king  and  Catherine  arrived 
first,  then  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  the  Duke  d'Alengon,  the 
King  of  Navarre,  M.  de  Guise,  and  their  followers  ;  then 
Mndame  Marguerite,  the  Duchess  de  Nevers,  and  all  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  167 

women  who  composed  what  was  called  Vescadron  volant  de 
la  leine  (the  queen's  flying  squadron)  ;  then  the  pages, 
squires,  attendants,  and  people — in  all  ten  thousand  per- 
sons. 

To  the  principal  gibbet  was  suspended  a  misshapen 
mass,  stained  with  coagulated  blood  and  mud,  whitened 
by  layers  of  dust.  The  carcass  was  headless,  and  they  had 
hung  it  up  by  the  legs,  and  the  people,  ingenious  as  they 
always  are,  had  replaced  the  head  with  a  bunch  of  straw, 
on  which  they  had  put  a  mask ;  and  in  the  mouth  of  this 
mask  some  wag,  knowing  the  admiral's  habit,  had  intro- 
duced a  toothpick. 

It  was  a  sight  at  once  appalling  and  singular  as  all  these 
elegant  lords  and  handsome  ladies  denied  in  the  midst  of 
blackened  carcasses  and  gibbets,  and  their  long  and  sinister 
arms. 

Many  could  scarcely  support  this  horrible  spectacle,  and 
by  his  paleness  might  be  distinguished,  in  the  center  of 
rallied  Huguenots,  Henry,  who  however  great  his  power 
over  himself  and  his  amount  of  dissimulation,  could  not 
bear  it  any  longer. 

He  made  as  his  excuse  the  strong  smell  which  emanated 
from  those  human  remains,  and  going  towards  Charles, 
who,  with  Catherine,  had  stopped  in  front  of  the  admiral's 
dead  body,  he  said  : 

"  Sire,  does  not  your  majesty  find  that  this  poor  carcass 
smells  so  strongly  that  it  is  impossible  to  remain  near  it 
any  longer  ?" 

"  Do  you  find  it  so,  Harry  ? "  inquired  the  king,  his 
eyes  sparkling  with  ferocious  joy. 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  Well,  then,  I  am  not  of  your  opinion  ;  the  corpse  of 
a  dead  enemy  always  smells  sweet." 

"  Come,  come,  sire  \"  said  Catherine,  who,  in  spite  of 
the  perfume  with  which  she  was  covered,  began  to  be 
incommoded  with  the  putrid  odor.  "  Come,  however 
agreeable  company  may  be,  it  must  be  left  at  last ;  let  us 
therefore  bid  adien  to  the  admiral,  and  return  to  Paris." 

She  made  with  her  head  an  ironical  gesture,  in  imita- 


168  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

tion  of  a  leave-taking  from  a  friend,  and,  going  to  the 
front  of  the  columns,  regained  the  road,  whilst  the  cortege 
defiled  before  the  corpse  of  Coligny. 

The  sun  was  fast  sinking  in  the  horizon. 

The  crowd  followed  so  rapidly,  that  in  ten  minutes  after 
the  departure  of  the  king,  there  was  no  person  about  the 
mutilated  carcass  of  the  admiral,  which  was  now  blown 
upon  by  the  first  breezes  of  the  evening. 

When  we  say  no  person,  we  mistake.  A  gentleman, 
mounted  on  a  black  horse,  and  who,  doubtless,  could  not 
contemplate  at  his  ease  the  misshapen  and  mutilated 
trunk  when  it  was  honored  by  the  presence  of  princes, 
had  remained  behind,  and  was  examining,  in  all  their  de- 
tails, the  bolts,  stone  pillars,  chains,  and  so  on,  of  the 
gibbet,  which  no  doubt  appeared  to  him  (but  lately  ar- 
rived in  Paris,  and  ignorant  of  the  perfection  to  which 
things  could  be  brought  in  the  capital)  the  paragon  of  all 
that  man  could  invent  of  the  outrageously  disgusting. 

We  need  hardly  inform  our  friends  that  this  individ- 
ual, in  ecstasy  before  the  handiwork  of  Enguerrand  de 
Marigny,  was  M.  Annibal  de  Coconnas. 

The  eye  of  a  female  had  in  vain  sought  him  in  the 
ranks  ;  but  this  eye  was  not  the  only  one  that  sought  M.  de 
Coconnas  ;  another  gentleman,  remarkable  from  his  white 
satin  doublet  and  flowing  plume,  after  having  gazed 
around  him  on  all  sides,  at  length  caught  sight  of  the  tall 
figure  of  Coconnas  and  the  vast  outline  of  his  horse,  and 
then  the  gentleman  in  the  white  satin  doublet  left  the 
line  which  the  main  body  was  taking,  and  turning  to  the 
right,  and  describing  a  semicircle,  returned  towards  the 
gibbet.  Almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  lady,  whom  we 
have  recognized  for  the  Duchess  de  Nevers,  approached 
Marguerite,  and  said  to  her  : 

"  We  were  both  deceived,  Marguerite  ;  for  the  Pied- 
montese  has  remained  behind,  and  M.  de  la  Mole  has 
followed  him." 

"Mordi!"  replied  Marguerite,  laughing,  "then  some- 
thing is  going  to  happen.  Ma  foil  I  confess  I  shall  not 
be  sorry  to  have  occasion  to  change  my  opinion." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  169 

Marguerite  then  turned  round,  and  saw  La  Mole  execute 
the  maneuver  we  have  described. 

Then  the  two  princesses  quitted  the  main  body,  at  the 
first  favorable  occasion,  and  turned  down  a  path,  bordered 
on  both  sides  by  hedges,  which  led  back  to  within  thirty 
paces  of  the  gibbet.  Madame  de  Nevers  said  a  word  in 
her  captain's  ear,  Marguerite  made  a  sign  to  Gillonne,  and 
the  four  persons  went  by  the  cross  road  to  ensconce  them- 
selves behind  the  bushes  nearest  to  the  spot  in  which  was 
to  pass  the  scene  they  desired  to  witness. 

Marguerite  alighted,  as  did  Madame  de  Nevers  and 
Gillonne,  and  the  Captain,  in  his  turn,  who  took  charge 
of  the  four  horses.  A  space  in  the  hedge  allowed  the 
three  women  to  see  all  that  passed. 

La  Mole  had  reached  Coconnas,  and,  stretching  out  his 
hand,  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

The  Piedmontese  turned  round. 

"  Oh  ! "  said  he,  "  then  it  was  not  a  dream  !  You  are 
still  alive  ! " 

'Yes,  sir,"  replied  La  Mole;  "  yes,  I  am  still  alive. 
It  is  no  fault  of  yours,  but  I  am  still  alive." 

" Mordi!  I  know  you  again  well  enough,"  replied  Co- 
connas, "  in  spite  of  your  pale  face.  You  were  redder 
than  that  the  last  time  we  met  ! " 

"  And  I,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "I  also  recognize  you,  in 
spite  of  that  yellow  line  across  your  face.  You  were  paler 
than  that  when  I  made  that  mark  for  you  ! " 

Coconnas  bit  his  lips,  but,  resolved  on  continuing  the 
conversation  in  a  tone  of  irony,  he  said  : 

"  It  is  curious,  is  it  not,  Monsieur  de  la  Mole,  particu- 
larly for  a  Huguenot,  to  be  able  to  look  at  the  admiral  sus- 
pended from  an  iron  hook  ?  And  yet  they  say  that  we 
are  guilty  of  killing  even  the  small  Huguenots,  who  were 
Bucking  at  the  breast." 

"  Comte,"  said  La  Mole,  bowing,  "  I  am  no  longer  a 
Huguenot ;  I  have  the  happiness  to  be  a  Catholic  i " 

"  Bah ! "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  bursting  into  loud 
laughter  ;  "  you  are  a  convert— eh,  sir  ?  Well,  that's 
well  managed  ! " 


170  MARGUEEITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Sir,"  replied  La  Mole,  with  the  same  seriousness  and 
the  same  politeness,  "  I  made  a  vow  to  become  a  convert 
if  I  escaped  the  massacre." 

"  Comte,"  said  the  Piedmontese,  "  that  was  a  very  pru- 
dent vow,  and  I  beg  to  congratulate  you.  Made  you  no 
others  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  La  Mole,  ' '  I  made  a  second. "  And 
as  he  said  so,  he  patted  his  horse  with  entire  coolness. 

"And  what  might  that  be  ?"  inquired  Coconnas. 

"  To  hang  you  up  there,  by  that  small  nail  which  seems 
to  await  you  beneath  M.  de  Coligny." 

"  What,  as  I  am  now  ?  "  asked  Coconnas,  "  alive  and 
merry  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  but  after  having  passed  my  sword  through 
your  body  ! " 

Coconnas  became  purple,  and  his  eyes  darted  flames. 

"  You  are  not  tall  enough  to  do  it,  my  little  sir !  " 

"  Then  Fll  get  on  your  horse,  my  great  manslayer," 
replied  La  Mole.  "  Ah,  you  believe,  my  dear  M.  Annibal 
de  Coconnas,  that  one  may  with  impunity  assassinate 
people  under  the  loyal  and  honorable  cover  of  a  hundred 
to  one,  forsooth  !  But  the  day  comes  when  a  man  finds 
his  man  ;  and  I  believe  that  day  has  come  now.  I  should 
very  well  like  to  send  a  bullet  through  your  ugly  head  ; 
but,  bah  !  I  might  miss  you,  for  my  hand  is  still  trem- 
bling from  the  traitorous  wounds  you  inflicted  upon  me." 

"  My  ugly  head  ! "  shouted  Coconnas,  dismounting 
hastily.  "  Down — down  from  your  horse,  M.  le  Comte, 
and  draw  ! " 

And  he  drew  his  sword. 

La  Mole  alighted  as  calmly  as  Cocannas  had  done  so 
precipitately  ;  he  took  off  his  cherry-colored  cloak,  laid  it 
leisurely  on  the  ground,  drew  his  sword,  and  put  himself 
on  guard. 

"  Ah  ! "  he  said,  as  he  stretched  out  his  arm. 

"  Oh  ! "  muttered  Coconnas,  as  he  did  the  same — for 
both,  as  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  wounded  in  the 
shoulder. 

A  burst  of  laughter,  ill  repressed,  came  from  the  clump 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  171 

of  bushes,  and  reached  the  ears  of  the  two  gentlemen, 
who  were  ignorant  that  they  had  witnesses,  and,  turning 
round,  beheld  their  ladies. 

La  Mole  resumed  his  guard  as  firm  as  an  automaton, 
and  Coconnas  crossed  his  blade  with  an  emphatic  Mordi  ! 

"  Ah  !  then  now  they  will  murder  each  other  in  real 
earnest,  if  we  do  not  interfere.  There  has  been  enough  of 
this.  Hola,  gentlemen  ! — hola  ! "  cried  Marguerite. 

"  Let  them  be — let  them  be  ! "  said  Henriette,  who, 
having  seen  Coconnas  fight,  hoped  in  her  heart  that 
Coconnas  would  make  as  short  work  with  La  Mole  as  he 
had  done  with  the  two  nephews  and  the  son  of  Mercandon. 

"  Oh,  they  are  really  beautiful  so  !  "  exclaimed  Mar- 
guerite. "  Look — they  seem  to  breathe  fire  ! " 

And  the  combat,begun  with  railleries  and  mutual  pro- 
vocation, became  silent  as  soon  as  the  champions  had 
crossed  their  swords.  Both  distrusted  their  strength,  and 
each,  at  every  quick  pass,  was  compelled  to  restrain 
an  expression  of  pain  occasioned  by  his  old  wounds. 
With  his  eyes  fixed  and  burning,  his  mouth  half  open, 
and  his  teeth  clenched,  La  Mole  advanced  with  short  and 
firm  steps  towards  his  adversary,  who,  seeing  in  him  a 
most  skilful  swordsman,  retreated  step  by  step.  They 
both  thus  reached  the  edge  of  the  fosse,  on  the  other  side 
of  which  were  the  spectators  ;  then,  as  if  his  retreat  had 
been  only  a  simple  stratagem  to  draw  nearer  to  his  lady, 
Coconnas  took  his  stand,  and  on  a  motion  of  his  blade,  a 
little  too  wide,  by  his  adversary,  with  the  quickness  of  light- 
ning, thrust  in  quart,  and  in  a  moment  the  white  satin 
doublet  of  La  Mole  was  stained  with  a  spot  of  blood  which 
kept  growing  larger. 

"  Courage  !"  cried  the  duchess. 

"Ah,  poor  La  Mole  \"  exclaimed  Marguerite,  with  a  cry 
of  distress. 

La  Mole  heard  this  cry,  darted  at  the  queen  one  of 
those  looks  which  penetrate  the  heart  even  deeper  than 
the  sword's  point,  and  taking  advantage  of  a  false  parade 
thrust  vigorously  at  his  adversary. 

This  time  the  two  women  uttered  two  cries  which  seemed 


172  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

like  one.     The  point  of  La  Mole's  rapier  had  appeared,  all 
covered  with  blood,  behind  Coconnas'  back. 

Yet  neither  fell.  Both  remained  erect,  looking  at  each 
other  with  open  month,  and  feeling  that  on  the  slightest 
movement  they  must  lose  their  balance.  At  last  the  Pied- 
montese,  more  dangerously  wounded  than  his  adversary, 
and  feeling  his  senses  forsaking  him  with  his  blood,  fell  on 
La  Mole,  grasping  him  with  one  hand,  whilst  with  the 
other  he  endeavored  to  unsheath  his  poniard.  La  Mole, 
on  his  part,  roused  all  his  strength,  raised  his  hand  and 
let  fall  the  pommel  of  his  sword  on  Coconnas'  forehead, 
who,  stupefied  by  the  blow,  fell,  but  in  his  fall  drew  down 
his  adversary  with  him,  and  both  rolled  into  the  fosse. 

Then  Marguerite  and  the  Duchess  de  Nevers,  seeing 
that,  dying  as  they  were,  they  were  still  struggling  to  destroy 
each  other,  hastened  towards  them,  followed  by  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guards;  but  before  they  could  reach  them, 
their  hands  unloosened  their  mutual  clutch,  their  eyes 
closed,  and  the  combatants,  letting  go  their  grasp  of  their 
weapons,  stiffened  as  in  their  final  agony.  A  large  stream 
of  blood  flowed  from  each. 

"  Oh,  brave,  brave  La  Mole  !  "  cried  Marguerite,  un- 
able any  longer  to  repress  her  admiration.  "  Ah  !  pardon 
me  a  thousand  times  for  having  a  moment  doubted  your 
courage." 

And  her  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"  Alas  !  alas  !  "  murmured  the  duchess,  "  gallant  An- 
ibal.  Did  you  ever  see  two  more  intrepid  heroes,  ma- 
dame?  " 

And  she  sobbed  aloud. 

"  Indeed,  they  were  ugly  thrusts,"  said  the  captain,  en- 
deavoring to  stanch  the  streams  of  blood.  "  Hola  !  you, 
there,  couie  here  as  quickly  as  you  can — here,  I  say " 

He  addressed  a  man  who,  seated  on  a  kind  of  tumbril,  or 
cart,  painted  red,  was  singing  a  snatch  of  an  old  song. 

The  carter,  whose  repulsive  exterior  formed  a  singular 
contrast  with  the  sweet  and  sylvan  song  he  was  singing, 
stopped  his  horse,  came  towards  the  two  bodies,  and  look- 
ing at  them,  said : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  173 

"These  be  terrible  wounds,  sure  enough,  but  I  have 
made  worse  in  ray  time." 

"  Who,  then,  are  you  ?  "  inquired  Marguerite,  experienc- 
ing, in  spite  of  herself,  a  certain  vague  terror  which  she 
could  not  overcome. 

"  Madame/'  replied  the  man,  bowing  down  to  the 
ground,  "  I  am  Maitre  Caboche,  headsman  to  the  pro- 
vostry  of  Paris,  and  I  have  come  to  hang  up  at  the  gibbet 
some  companions  for  monsieur  the  admiral." 

' '  Well !  and  I  am  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  "  replied  Mar- 
guerite/' and  I  bid  you  cast  your  corpses  down  there,  spread 
in  your  cart  the  housings  of  our  horses,  and  bring  these  two 
gentlemen  softly  behind  us  to  the  Louvre." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  RIVAL  OF  MArTRE  AMBROISE  PARE. 

THE  tumbril,  in  which  were  La  Mole  and  Coconnas, 
took  the  road  to  the  Louvre,  following  at  a  distance  the 
group  that  served  as  a  guide.  It  stopped  at  the  Louvre, 
and  the  driver  was  amply  rewarded.  The  wounded  men 
were  carried  to  the  Duke  d'Alenqon's  lodgings,  and  Maitre 
Ambroise  Pare  sent  for. 

When  he  arrived,  they  were  both  insensible. 

La  Mole  was  the  least  hurt  of  the  two.  The  sword  had 
pierced  him  below  the  right  armpit,  but  without  touching 
any  vital  part.  As  for  Coconnas,  he  was  run  through  the 
lungs,  and  the  air  that  escaped  from  his  wound  made  the 
flame  of  a  candle  waver. 

Ambroise  Pare  would  not  answer  for  Coconnas. 

Madame  de  Nevers  was  in  despair.  She  it  was  who, 
relying  on  Coconnas'  courage  and  skill,  had  prevented 
Marguerite  from  interposing. 

In  order  to  conceal  the  cause  of  their  wounds  Marguerite, 
in  having  them  transported  to  her  brother's  apartments, 
where  one  of  them  was  already  installed,  said  they  were 


174  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

two  gentlemen  who  had  been  thrown  from  their  horses  ; 
but  the  real  story  became  known,  in  consequence  of  the 
intense  admiration  of  the  captain  who  had  witnessed  the 
duel  and  who  related  all  the  particulars,  and  our  two 
heroes  had  soon  a  brilliant  reputation  at  court. 

Attended  by  the  same  surgeon,  they  both  passed  through 
the  different  stages  of  convalescence,  arising  from  the 
different  degrees  of  severity  of  their  wounds.  La  Mole  was 
the  first  who  came  to  himself.  As  for  Coconnas,  he  was  in 
a  high  fever,  and  his  return  to  life  was  marked  by  all  the 
signs  of  delirium. 

Although  in  the  same  room  as  Coconnas,  La  Mole  had 
not  perceived  his  companion,  or,  least,  had  given  no  in- 
dication of  it.  Coconnas,  on  the  contrary,  when  he  opened 
his,  eyes,  fixed  them  on  La  Mole  with  an  expression  that 
proved  that  the  blood  he  had  lost  had  not  modified  the 
passions  of  his  fiery  temperament. 

Coconnas  thought  he  was  dreaming,  and  that  in  this 
dream  he  saw  the  enemy  he  imagined  he  had  twice  slain. 
Then,  that  after  having  observed  La  Mole  laid,  like  him- 
self, on  a  couch,  and  his  wounds  dressed  by  the  surgeon, 
he  saw  him  rise  up  in  bed,  while  he  himself  was  'still 
too  weak  to  move,  then  get  out  of  bed,  then  walk,  first 
leaning  on  the  surgeon's  arm,  and  then  on  a  cane  and  in 
the  end,  without  assistance. 

Coconnas,  still  delirious,  viewed  these  different  stages  of 
his  companion's  recovery  with  eyes  sometimes  fixed,  at 
others  wandering,  but  always  threatening. 

Then  arose  in  his  mind,  more  wounded  than  his  body, 
an  insatiable  thirst  of  vengeance.  He  was  wholly  occupied 
with  one  idea,  that  of  procuring  some  weapon,  and  piercing 
this  vision  that  so  cruelly  persecuted  him.  His  clothes, 
stained  with  blood,  had  been  placed  on  a  chair  by  his  bed, 
but  were  afterwards  removed,  it  being  thought  imprudent 
to  leave  them  in  his  sight ;  but  his  poniard  still  remained 
on  the  chair,  for  it  was  imagined  it  would  be  some  time 
before  he  would  want  to  employ  it. 

Coconnas  saw  the  poniard  ;  three  nights,  profiting  by  La 
Mole's  slumbers,  he  strove  to  reach  it ;  three  nights  his 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  175 

strength  failed  him,  and  he  fainted.  At  length,  on  the 
fourth  night,  he  clutched  it  convulsively,  and  groaning 
with  the  pain  of  the  effort,  concealed  the  weapon  beneath 
his  pillow. 

The  next  day  he  saw  a  new  spectacle.  The  shade  of  La 
Mole,  that  every  day  seemed  to  gain  strength,  whilst  he, 
occupied  with  his  design,  seemed  to  lose  his — the  shade 
of  La  Mole  walked  thoughtfully  up  and  down  the  room, 
three  or  four  times,  then,  after  having  ad  justed  his  mantle, 
buckled  on  his  rapier,  and  put  on  a  large  hat,  opened  the 
door  and  went  out. 

Coconnas  breathed  again.  For  two  hours  his  blood  cir- 
culated more  freely  in  his  veins  than  it  had  done  since  the 
duel.  One  day's  absence  of  La  Mole  would  have  recalled 
Coconnas'  senses :  a  week's  absence  would  have  cured 
him  :  unfortunately,  La  Mole  returned  at  the  end  of  two 
hours. 

This  re-appearance  of  La  Mole  was  a  poniard  stab  for 
Coconnas  ;  and  although  La  Mole  did  not  return  alone, 
Coconnas  did  not  give  a  single  look  at  his  companion. 

That  companion  was  nevertheless  worth  being  looked 
at. 

He  was  a  man  of  forty,  short,  thick-set,  and  vigorous, 
with  black  hair,  cut  short,  and  a  black  beard,  which,  con- 
trary to  the  fashion  of  the  period,  thickly  covered  the 
chin  ;  but  he  seemed  one  who  cared  little  for  the  fashion. 

He  wore  a  leather  jerkin,  stained  and  spotted  with 
blood  ;  red  hose  and  leggings,  thick  shoes  coming  above 
the  ankle ;  a  cap  the  same  color  as  his  stockings,  and  a 
girdle,  from  which  hung  a  large  knife  in  a  leather  sheath, 
completed  his  attire. 

This  singular  personage,  whose  presence  in  the  Louvre 
seemed  so  unaccountable,  threw  his  brown  mantle  on  a 
chair,  and  unceremoniously  approached  Coconnas,  whose 
eyes,  as  if  fascinated,  remained  fixed  upon  La  Mole,  who 
remained  at  the  other  end  of  the  room.  He  looked  at  the 
sick  man,  and,  shaking  his  head,  said  to  La  Mole  : 

"  You  haven't  hurried  yourself." 

"  I  could  not  get  out  sooner." 


176  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Why  did  not  you  send  for  me  ?  " 

"  Whom  had  I  to  send  ?  " 

"  True,  I  forgot  where  we  are.  Ah,  if  my  prescriptions 
had  been  followed  instead  of  those  of  that  ass,  Ambroise 
Pare,  you  would  have  been  by  this  time  in  a  condition  to 
go  in  pursuit  of  adventures  together,  or  exchange  another 
sword-thrust  if  you  liked  ;  but  we  shall  see.  Does  your 
friend  hear  reason  ?  " 

"Scarcely." 

"  Hold  out  your  tongue,  sir.  Ah,  I  see  there's  no  time 
to  be  lost.  This  evening  I  will  send  you  a  potion  ready 
prepared  :  you  must  make  him  take  it  at  three  times  ;  once 
at  midnight,  once  at  one  o'clock,  and  once  at  two." 

"  Very  well." 

"  But  who  will  administer  it  ?  " 

"I  will." 

"  You  yourself  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  You  promise  me  ?" 

"  On  my  honor." 

"  And  if  the  doctor  seeks  to  obtain  any  of  it  to  analyze 
it?" 

"  I  will  throw  it  away  to  the  last  drop." 

"On  your  honor  ?" 

"  I  swear  it  ! " 

"  Done  ;  but  how  get  it  in  here  ?  Oh,  faith,  I'll  send 
it  to  you  as  from  Maitre  Kene,  the  perfumer.  He  poaches 
on  my  profession  so  often,  I  may  surely  use  his  name  for 
once." 

"  Then,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  rely  on  you." 

"  You  may." 

"  And  as  for  the  payment  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we  will  arrange  about  that  when  the  gentleman  is 
well  again." 

"  You  may  be  quite  easy  on  that  score,  for  I  am  sure 
he  will  pay  you  nobly." 

"  No  doubt.  Adieu,  then,  M.  de  la  Mole.  In  two 
hours  you  will  have  the  potion.  You  understand,  it  must 
be  given  at  midnight,  in  three  doses,  from  hour  to  hour." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  177 

So  saying,  he  left  the  room,  and  La  Mole  was  alone 
with  Cooonnas. 

Coconnas  had  heard  the  whole  conversation,  but  re- 
membered nothing  except  the  word  "  Midnight." 

He  continued  to  watch  La  Mole,  who  remained  in  the 
room,  pacing  thoughtfully  up  and  down." 

The  unknown  doctor  kept  his  word,  and  at  the  ap- 
pointed-time sent  the  potion,  which  La  Mole  placed  on  a 
small  heater,  and  then  lay  down. 

The  clock  struck  twelve.  Coconnas  opened  his  eyes  ; 
his  breath  seemed  to  scorch  his  lips,  and  his  throat  was 
parched  with  fever  ;  the  night  lamp  shed  a  faint  light, 
and  made  thousands  of  phantoms  dance  before  his 
eyes. 

He  then  saw  La  Mole  rise  from  his  couch,  walk  about  a 
few  moments,  and  then  advance  towards  him,  threatening 
him,  as  he  thought,  with  his  clenched  hand.  Coconnas 
seized  his  poniard,  and  prepared  to  plunge  it  into  his 
enemy. 

La  Mole  approached. 

Coconnas  murmured  : 

"  Ah  !  'tis  you — 'tis  you,  then  !  Ah  !  you  menace  me  ! 
yon  threaten  me  !  you  smile  !  Come,  come,  come,  that  I 
may  kill  you." 

And  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  as  La  Mole  leaned 
towards  him,  Coconnas  drew  the  poniard  from  under  the 
clothes ;  but  the  effort  exhausted  him,  and  he  fell  back 
upon  his  pillow. 

"Come,  come,"  said  La  Mole,  supporting  him,  "drink 
this,  my  poor  fellow,  for  you  are  burnt  up." 

It  was  in  reality  a  cup  that  La  Mole  presented  to  Cocon- 
nas, and  which  he  had  mistaken  for  his  fist. 

But  at  the  nectarous  sensation  of  this  blessed  draught, 
soothing  his  lips,  and  cooling  his  throat,  Coconnas  re- 
sumed his  reason,  or  rather  his  instinct  ;  a  feeling  of  de- 
light pervaded  his  frame  ;  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  La  Mole, 
who  was  supporting  him  in  his  arms,  and  smiled  grate- 
fully on  him  ;  and  from  those  orbs,  so  lately  glowing  with 
fury,  a  tear  rolled  down  his  burning  cheek. 

12 


178  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Mordi  !  "  murmured  Coconnas.  *'  If  I  get  over  this, 
M.  de  la  Mole,  you  shall  be  my  friend." 

"  And  you  will  get  over  it/'  said  La  Mole,  "  if  you  will 
drink  the  other  two  cups,  and  have  no  more  ugly  dreams/' 

An  hour  afterwards  La  Mole,  obedient  to  his  instruc- 
tions, rose  again,  poured  a  second  dose  into  the  cup,  and 
carried  it  to  Coconnas,  who  instead  of  receiving  him  with 
his  poniard,  opened  his  arms,  eagerly  swallowed  the 
potion,  and  then  fell  asleep. 

The  third  cup  had  a  no  less  marvelous  effect.  The 
sick  man's  breathing  became  more  regular,  his  limbs  sup- 
ple, a  gentle  perspiration  diffused  itself  over  his  skin,  and 
when  Ambroise  Par6  visited  him  the  next  morning,  he 
smiled  complacently  : 

"I  answer  for  M.  de  Coconnas  now  ;  and  this  will  not 
be  one  of  the  least  difficult  cures  I  have  effected." 

The  result  of  this  scene  was  the  friendship  of  the  two 
gentlemen,  which,  commencing  at  La  belle  Moile,  and 
violently  interrupted  by  the  night  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
now  surpassed  that  of  Orestes  and  Pylades  by  five  sword- 
thrusts  and  one  pistol-wound  exchanged  between  them. 

Old  and  new  wounds,  slight  or  serious,  were  at  last  in  a 
fair  way  of  cure.  La  Mole,  though  quite  well,  would  not 
forsake  his  post  of  nurse  until  Coconnas  was  also  recovered. 
He  raised  him  in  bed,  and  helped  him  when  he  began  to 
walk,  until  by  the  aid  of  Count  Annibal's  naturally 
vigorous  constitution,  he  was  restored  to  perfect  convales- 
cence. 

However,  one  and  the  same  thought  occupied  both  the 
young  men.  Each  had  in  his  delirium  seen  the  woman  he 
loved  approach  his  couch,  and  yet,  since  they  had  re- 
covered their  senses,  neither  Marguerite  nor  Madame  de 
Nevers  had  appeared.  It  is  true  that  the  gentleman  who 
had  witnessed  the  combat  had  come  several  times,  as  if 
of  his  own  accord,  to  inquire  after  them ;  it  is  also  true 
that  Gillonne  had  done  the  same ;  but  La  Mole  had  not 
ventured  to  speak  to  the  one  concerning  the  queen : 
Coconnas  had  not  ventured  to  speak  to  the  other  of 
Madame  de  Nevers. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  179 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  VISIT. 

DURIFG  some  time  the  two  young  men  kept  their  secret 
confined  each  to  his  own  breast.  At  last,  on  a  day  of 
warm  and  mutual  feeling,  the  thought  which  had  so  long 
occupied  them  escaped  their  lips,  and  both  cemented  their 
friendship  by  this  final  proof,  without  which  there  is  no 
friendship — namely,  perfect  confidence. 

They  were  both  madly  in  love— one  with  a  princess,  and 
the  other  with  a  queen. 

They  both,  as  they  recovered  from  their  illness,  took 
great  pains  with  their  personal  appearance.  Every  man, 
even  the  most  indifferent  to  physical  appearance,  has,  at 
certain  times,  mute  interviews  with  his  looking-glass, 
signs  of  intelligence,  after  which  he  generally  quits  his 
confidant,  quite  satisfied  with  the  conversation.  Now  our 
two  young  friends  were  not  men  whose  mirrors  gave  them 
no  encouragement.  La  Mole,  thin,  pale,  and  elegant, 
had  the  beauty  of  distinction  ;  Ooconnas,  powerful,  large- 
framed,  and  fresh-colored,  had  the  beauty  of  strength. 
He  had  more,  for  his  recent  illness  had  been  of  advantage 
to  him.  He  had  become  thinner,  grown  paler  ;  and  the 
famous  scar,  which  had  formerly  left  across  his  face  the 
prismatic  colors  of  the  rainbow,  had  disappeared. 

The  most  delicate  attentions  continued  to  be  lavished  on 
the  two  wounded  men,  and  on  the  day  when  each  was  well 
enough  to  rise,  he  found  a  robe-de-chambre  on  the  arm  of 
his  easy-chair ;  on  the  day  when  he  was  able  to  dress  him- 
self, a  complete  suit  of  clothes  ;  moreover,  in  the  pocket 
of  each  doublet  was  a  well-filled  purse,  which  they  each 
intended,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  return,  in  time  and 
place,  to  the  unknown  protector  who  watched  over  them. 

This  unknown  protector  could  not  be  the  prince  with 
whom  the  two  young  men  resided,  for  not  only  the  prince 


180  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

had  never  once  paid  them  a  visit,  but  he  had  not  even 
sent  to  make  any  inquiry  after  them. 

A  vague  hope  whispered  to  each  heart  that  this  unknown 
protector  was  the  woman  he  loved.  The  two  wounded 
men  therefore  awaited  with  intense  impatience  the  mo- 
ment when  they  could  go  out.  La  Mole,  stronger  and 
sooner  cured  than  Ooconnas,  could  have  done  so  long  be- 
fore, but  a  kind  of  tacit  convention  bound  him  to  his 
friend. 

At  length,  after  two  months  passed  in  convalescence  and 
confinement,  the  long-looked-for  day  arrived,  and  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  on  a  fine  day  in  autumn,  such 
as  Paris  sometimes  offers  to  her  astonished  population,  who 
have  already  made  up  their  minds  to  the  winter,  the  two 
friends,  leaning  on  each  other's  arms,  quitted  the  Louvre. 

La  Mole  undertook  to  be  the  guide  of  Coconnas,  and 
Coconnas  allowed  himself  to  be  guided  without  resistance 
or  reflection.  He  knew  that  his  friend  meant  to  conduct 
him  to  the  unknown  doctor's,  whose  potion  (not  patented) 
had  cured  him  in  a  single  night,  when  all  the  drugs  of 
Master  Ambroise  Pare  were  killing  him  slowly.  He  had 
divided  the  money  in  his  purse  into  two  parts,  and  intended 
a  hundred  rose-nobles  for  the  unknown  Esculapius,  to 
whom  his  recovery  was  due.  Coconnas  was  not  afraid  of 
death,  but  Coconnas  was  not  the  less  satisfied  to  be  alive 
and  well. 

La  Mole  directed  his  steps  towards  the  Place  des  Halles. 
Near  the  ancient  fountain  was  an  octagon  stone  building, 
surmounted  by  a  vast  lantern  of  wood,  which  was  again 
surmounted  by  a  pointed  roof,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a 
weathercock.  This  wooden  lantern  had  eight  openings, 
traversed,  as  that  heraldic  piece  which  they  call  the  fastis 
traverses  the  field  of  blazonry,  by  a  kind  of  wheel  of  wood, 
which  was  divided  in  the  middle,  in  order  to  admit  in  the 
holes  cut  in  it  for  that  purpose  the  head  and  hands  of  the 
sentenced  person  or  persons  who  were  exposed  at  one  or 
other  of  all  these  eight  openings. 

This  singular  construction,  which  had  nothing  like  it  in 
the  surrounding  buildings,  was  called  the  pillory. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  181 

An  ill -constructed,  irregular,  crooked,  one-eyed,  limp- 
ing house,  the  roof  covered  with  moss,  like  the  skin  of  a 
leper,  had,  like  a  toadstool,  sprung  up  at  the  foot  of  this 
species  of  tower. 

This  house  was  the  executioner's. 

A  man  was  exposed,  and  was  thrusting  out  his  tongue 
at  the  passers-by  ;  he  was  one  of  the  robbers  who  had  been 
following  his  profession  beneath  the  gibbet  of  Montfaucon, 
and  had  by  ill-luck  been  arrested  in  the  exercise  of  his 
functions. 

Coconnas  believed  that  his  friend  had  brought  him  to 
see  this  singular  spectacle,  and  mingled  in  the  crowd  of 
amateurs  who  replied  to  the  grimaces  of  the  patient  by 
vociferations  and  shouts.  Coconnas  was  naturally  cruel, 
and  the  sight  very  much  amused  him  ;  and  when  the 
moving  lantern  was  turning  on  its  base,  in  order  to  show 
the  exhibited  to  another  portion  of  the  multitude,  and  the 
crowd  were  following,  Coconnas  would  have  accompanied 
them,  had  not  La  Mole  checked  him,  saying,in  a  low  tone  : 

"  It  was  not  for  this  that  we  came  here."  And  he  led 
Coconnas  to  a  small  window  in  the  house  which  abutted 
on  the  tower,  and  at  which  a  man  was  leaning. 

"Ah — ah  !  is  it  you,  messeigueurs  ?"  said  the  man,  rais- 
ing his  blood-red  cap,  and  showing  his  black  and  thick  hair, 
which  descended  to  his  eyebrows.  "  You  are  welcome." 

"  Who  is  this  man?"  inquired  Coconnas,  endeavoring 
to  recollect,  for  he  believed  he  had  seen  his  face  during 
one  of  the  crises  of  his  fever. 

"Your  preserver,  my  dear  friend,"  replied  La  Mole; 
"  he  who  brought  to  you  at  the  Louvre  that  refreshing 
drink  which  did  you  so  much  good." 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  said  Coconnas ;  "in  that  case,  my 
friend " 

And  he  held  out  his  hand  to  him. 

But  the  man,  instead  of  returning  the  gesture,  stood  up 
and  retreated  a  pace  from  the  two  friends. 

"  Sir,"  he  said  to  Coconnas,  "  thanks  for  the  honor  you 
offer  me,  but  it  is  most  probable  that  if  you  knew  me,  you 
would  not  vouchsafe  it." 


182  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Mafoi!"  said  Goconnas  ;  "I  declare  that,  even  if 
you  were  the  devil  himself,  I  am  very  greatly  obliged  to 
you,  for  I  owe  you  my  life/' 

"  I  am  not  exactly  the  devil,"  replied  the  man  in  the 
red  cap  ;  "but  yet  there  are  frequently  persons  who  would 
rather  see  the  devil  than  me." 

"  Then,  who  are  you  ?  "  asked  Coconnas. 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  man,  "  I  am  Maitre  Caboche,  the 
executioner  of  the  provostry  of  Paris " 

"  Ah "  said  Coconnas,  withdrawing  his  hand. 

"  You  see  ! "  said  Maitre  Caboche. 

"  No,  no  ;  I  will  touch  your  hand,  or  may  the  devil 
fetch  me  !  Hold  it  out " 

"Keally?" 

"  Most  certainly/' 

"  Here  it  is  ! " 

*'  Open  it — wider — wider  ! " 

And  Coconnas  took  from  his  pocket  the  handful  of  gold 
he  had -prepared  for  his  anonymous  physician,  and  placed 
it  in  the  executioner's  hand. 

"  I  would  rather  have  had  your  hand  entirely  and 
solely  !"  said  Maitre  Caboche,  shaking  his  head  ;  "for  I 
am  not  in  want  of  money,  but  of  hands  to  touch  mine. 
Never  mind  !  God  bless  you,  gentlemen  ! " 

"  So,  then,  my  friend,"  said  Coconnas,  looking  at  the 
executioner  with  curiosity,  "it  is  you  who  give  men  pain, 
who  put  them  on  the  wheel,  rack  them,  cut  off  heads,  and 
break  bones.  Ah,  ah  !  I  am  very  glad  to  have  formed 
your  acquaintance." 

"  Sir,"  said  Maitre  Caboche,  "  I  do  not  do  all  myself  : 
just  as  you  have  lackeys,  you  noble  gentlemen,  to  do  what 
you  do  not  choose  to  do  yourself,  so  have  I  my  assistants, 
who  do  the  coarser  work  and  make  preparations.  Only 
when,  by  chance,  I  have  to  do  with  folks  of  quality,  like 
you  and  that  other  gentleman,  for  instance,  ah  !  it  is  then 
a  very  different  thing,  and  I  take  a  pride  in  doing  every- 
thing myself,  from  first  to  last — that  is  to  say,  from  the 
first  putting  of  the  question,  to  the  beheading  ! " 

In  spite  of  himself,  Coconnas  felt  a  shudder  pervade  his 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  183 

veins,  as  if  the  actual  wedge  was  being  driven  beside  his 
legs — as  if  the  edge  of  the  ax  was  against  his  neck. 

La  Mole,  without  being  able  to  account  for  it,  felt  the 
same  sensation.  But  Coconnas  overcame  the  emotion,  of 
which  he  was  ashamed,  and  desirous  of  taking  leave  of 
Maitre  Caboche  with  a  jest  on  his  lips,  said  to  him  : 

"  Well,  master,  I  hold  you  to  your  word,  and  when  it  is 
my  turn  to  mount  the  gallows  of  Euguerrand  de  Marigny, 
or  the  scaffold  of  M.  de  Nemours,  you  alone  shall  lay 
hands  on  me/' 

"  I  promise  you." 

"  Then,  this  time  here  is  my  hand,  as  a  pledge  that  I 
accept  your  promise,"  said  Coconnas. 

And  he  extended  to  the  headsman  his  hand,  which  the 
headsman  touched  timidly  with  his  own,  although  it  was 
evident  that  he  had  a  great  desire  to  grasp  it  warmly. 

At  this  slight  touch,  Coconnas  turned  rather  pale  ;  but 
a  smile  still  remained  on  his  lips,  whilst  La  Mole,  ill  at 
ease,  and  seeing  the  crowd  turn  with  the  lantern  and  come 
towards  them,  touched  his  cloak. 

Coconnas,  who  in  reality  had  as  great  desire  as  La  Mole 
to  put  an  end  to  this  scene,  nodded  to  the  executioner, 
and  went  his  way. 

"  Mafoi  !  "  said  La  Mole,  when  he  and  his  companion  had 
reached  the  Cross  de  Trahoir,  "  we  breathe  more  freely 
here  than  in  the  Place  des  Halles  ! " 

"Decidedly,"  replied  Coconnas;  "but  I  am  not  the 
less  glad  at  having  made  Maitre  Caboche's  acquaintance. 
It  is  well  to  have  friends  everywhere." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   ABODE   OF   MAITRE   RENE,    PERFUMER    TO  THE 
QUEEN-MOTHER. 

AT  the  period  of  this  history  there  existed  in  Paris,  for 
passing  from  one  part  of  the  city  to  another,  but  five 
bridges,  some  of  stone  and  the  others  of  wood,  and  they 


184:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

all  led  to  the  Cite ;  amongst  these  five  bridges,  each  of 
which  has  its  history,  we  shall  now  speak  more  particularly 
of  the  Pont-Saint-Michel. 

In  the  midst  of  the  houses  which  bordered  the  line  of  the 
bridge,  facing  a  small  islet,  was  a  house  remarkable  for  its 
panels  of  wood,  over  which  a  large  roof  impended,  like  the 
lid  of  an  immense  eye.  At  the  only  window  which  opened 
on  the  first  story,  over  the  window  and  door  of  the  ground- 
floor,  closely  shut,  was  observable  a  reddish  light,  which 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  passers-by  to  the  low  fa9ade, 
large,  and  painted  blue,  with  rich  gol(J  mouldings.  A 
kind  of  frieze,  which  separated  the  ground-floor  from 
the  first-floor,  represented  groups  of  devils  in  the  most 
grotesque  postures  imaginable  ;  and  a  large  plain  strip, 
painted  blue  like  the  faqade,  ran  between  the  frieze  and 
the  window,  with  this  inscription  :  "  Rene,  Florentine, 
Perfumer  to  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen-Mother." 

The  door  of  this  shop  was,  as  we  have  said,  closely 
bolted  ;  but  it  was  defended  from  nocturnal  attacks  better 
than  by  bolts,  by  the  reputation  of  its  occupant,  so  re- 
doubtable that  the  passengers  over  the  bridge  usually  kept 
away  from  contact  with  the  building,  as  if  they  feared  the 
very  smell  of  the  perfumes  that  might  exhale  from  the 
house. 

From  similar  motives,  the  neighbors  right  and  left  of 
Ren6  had  quitted  their  houses,  which  were  thus  entirely 
deserted  ;  yet,  in  spite  of  this  solitude,  belated  passers  by 
had  frequently  seen,  glittering  through  the  crevices  of  the 
shutters  of  these  empty  habitations,  certain  rays  of  light, 
and  had  heard  certain  noises  like  groans,  which  proved 
that  some  beings  frequented  these  abodes,  although  they 
did  not  know  if  they  belonged  to  this  world  or  the  other. 

It  was,  doubtless,  owing  to  the  privilege  which  the  dread 
of  him,  widely  circulated,  had  procured  for  him,  that 
Maitre  Ren 6  had  dared  to  keep  up  a  light  after  the  pre- 
scribed hour.  No  round  or  guard,  however,  would  have 
dared  to  molest  him,  a  man  doubly  dear  to  her  majesty  as 
her  fellow-countryman  and  perfumer. 

The  shop  of  the  ground-floor  had  been  dark  and  deserted 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  185 

since  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening — the  hour  at  which  it 
closed,  not  again  to  open  until  next  morning,  and  it  was 
there  was  the  daily  sale  of  perfumery,  unguents,  cosmetics, 
and  all  the  articles  of  a  skilful  chemist.  Two  apprentices 
aided  him  in  the  retail  business,  but  did  not  sleep  in  the 
house. 

In  the  evening  they  went  out  an  instant  before  the  shop 
was  closed,  and  in  the  morning  waited  at  the  door  until 
it  was  opened. 

In  the  shop,  which  was  large  and  deep,  there  were  two 
doors,  each  leading  to  a  staircase.  One  of  these  staircases 
was  in  the  wall  itself,  and  the  other  was  exterior,  and  visible 
from  the  Quai  des  Augustins,  and  from  what  is  now  called 
the  Quai  des  Orfevres. 

Both  led  to  a  room  on  the  first-floor,  of  the  same  size  as 
the  ground-floor,  except  that  it  was  divided  into  two  com- 
partments by  tapestry  suspended  in  the  center.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  compartment  opened  the  door  which  led 
to  the  exterior  staircase.  On  the  side  face  of  the  second 
opened  the  door  of  the  secret  staircase.  This  door  was 
invisible  ;  being  concealed  by  a  large  carved  cupboard 
fastened  to  it  by  iron  cramps,  and  moving  with  it  when 
pushed  open.  Catherine  alone,  besides  Rene,  knew  the 
secret  of  this  door,  and  by  it  she  came  and  departed  ;  and 
with  eye  or  ear  placed  against  the  cupboard,  in  which  were 
several  small  holes,  she  saw  and  heard  all  that  passed  in 
the  chamber. 

Two  other  doors,  visible  to  all  eyes,  presented  themselves 
at  the  sides  of  the  second  compartment.  One  opened  to 
a  small  chamber  lighted  from  the  roof,  and  having  nothing 
in  it  but  a  large  stove,  alembics,  retorts,  and  crucibles  :  it 
was  an  alchemist's  laboratory  ;  the  other  opened  on  to  a 
cell  more  singular  than  the  rest  of  the  apartment,  for  it 
was  not  lighted  at  all — had  neither  carpet  nor  furniture, 
but  only  a  kind  of  stone  altar. 

The  floor  sloped  from  the  center  to  the  ends,  and  from 
the  ends  to  the  base  of  the  wall  was  a  kind  of  gutter  end- 
ing in  a  funnel,  through  whose  orifice  might  be  seen  the 
somber  waters  of  the  Seine.  On  nails  driven  into  the  walla 


186  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

were  suspended  instruments  of  singular  shape,  all  keen  and 
trenchant,  with  points  as  fine  as  a  needle  and  edges  as 
sharp  as  a  razor  :  some  shone  like  mirrors  ;  others,  on  the 
contrary,  were  of  a  dull  gray  or  murky  blue.  In  a  corner 
were  two  black  fowls,  struggling  with  each  other  and  tied 
together  by  the  claws.  This  was  the  Sanctuary  of  Augnry. 

Let  us  return  to  the  middle  chamber,  that  with  two 
compartments. 

It  was  here  that  the  vulgar  clients  were  introduced : 
here  were  Ibises  of  Egypt ;  mummies,  with  gilded  bands ; 
the  crocodile,  yawning  from  the  ceiling ;  death's  heads, 
with  eyeless  sockets  and  gumless  teeth  ;  and  here,  old 
musty  volumes,  torn  and  rat-eaten,  were  presented  to  the 
eye  of  the  visitor  in  pell-mell  confusion.  Behind  the  cur- 
tain were  phials,  singularly  shaped  boxes,  and  vases  of 
curious  construction  ;  all  lighted  up  by  two  small  silver 
lamps  which,  supplied  with  perfumed  oil,  cast  their  yellow 
flame  around  the  somber  vault,  to  which  each  was  sus- 
pended by  three  blackened  chains. 

Rene,  alone,  his  arms  crossed,  was  pacing  up  and  down 
the  second  compartment  with  long  strides,  and  shaking 
his  head.  After  a  lengthened  and  painful  musing  he 
paused  before  an  hour-glass. 

"  Ah  !  ah  1 "  he  said,  "  I  forgot  to  turn  it ;  and  perhaps 
the  sand  has  all  passed  a  long  time  since." 

Then,  looking  at  the  moon,  as  it  struggled  through  a 
heavy  black  cloud  which  seemed  to  hang  over  Ndtre-Dame, 
he  said  :  "  It  is  nine  o'clock.  If  she  comes,  she  will  come, 
as  usual,  in  an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a  half;  then  there 
will  be  time  for  all." 

At  this  moment  a  noise  was  heard  on  the  bridge.  Ren6 
applied  his  ear  to  the  long  tube,  the  extremity  of  which 
reached  unto  the  street. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  it  is  neither  she  nor  they :  it  is  men's 
footsteps,  and  they  stop  at  my  door — they  are  coming 
hither." 

And  three  knocks  were  heard  at  the  door. 

Rene1  rapidly  descended,  and  placed  his  ear  against  the 
door,  without  opening  it. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  187 

The  blows  were  repeated. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  asked  Ren6. 

"  Is  it  necessary  that  we  should  mention  our  names  ?  " 
inquired  a  voice. 

"  Absolutely  indispensable/*  replied  Ren6 . 

"  Then,  I  am  the  Count  Annibal  de  Coconnas/'  said  the 
same  voice. 

"And  I  am  the  Count  Lerac  de  la  Mole/'  said  another 
voice. 

"  Wait,  wait  a  second,  gentlemen,  and  I  am  at  your 
service;"  and  at  the  same  moment,  Rene,  drawing  the 
bolts  and  lifting  the  bars,  opened  the  door  to  the  two 
young  men  only,  locking  it  after  him.  Then,  conducting 
them  by  the  exterior  staircase,  he  introduced  them  into 
the  second  compartment. 

La  Mole,  as  he  entered,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  under 
his  cloak.  He  was  pale,  and  his  hand  trembled  without 
his  being  able  to  repress  this  symptom  of  weakness. 

Coconnas  looked  at  everything,  one  after  the  other  ;  and 
seeing  the  door  of  the  cell,  tried  to  open  it. 

"  Allow  me  to  observe,  sir,"  said  Rene,  in  a  serious  tone, 
and  placing  his  hand  on  Coconnas',  "  that  those  who  do  me 
the  honor  of  a  visit,  have  only  access  to  this  apartment." 

"  Oh,  very  well/'  replied  Coconnas  ;  "  besides,  I  want 
to  sit  down,"  and  he  placed  himself  on  a  chair. 

There  was  profound  silence  for  the  next  minute — 
Maitre  Rene  expecting  that  one  or  other  of  the  young  men 
would  open  the  conversation. 

"  Maitre  Rene,"  at  length  said  Coconnas,  "  you  are  a 
very  skilful  man,  and  I  pray  you  tell  me  if  I  shall  always 
remain  a  sufferer  from  my  wound — that  is,  always  ex- 
perience this  shortness  of  breath,  which  prevents  me  from 
riding  on  horseback,  practising  feats  of  arms,  and  eating 
rich  omelettes  ?  " 

Rene  put  his  ear  to  Coconnas'  chest,  and  listened  at- 
tentively to  the  play  of  the  lungs. 

"  'No,  comte,"  he  replied,  "you  will  be  cured." 

"  Really  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  assure  you/' 

DUMAS— VOL.  III. — 9 


188  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Well,  I  am  happy  to  hear  it." 

Again,  all  was  silent. 

"  Is  there  nothing  else  you  would  desire  to  know,  M.  le 
Comte  ?  " 

"  1  wish  to  know,"  said  Coconnas,  "  if  I  am  really  in 
love  ?" 

"  You  are/'  replied  Ren6. 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Because  you  ask  the  question." 

"  Mordi  !  you  are  right.     But  with  whom  ?" 

"  With  her  who  now,  on  every  occasion,  uses  the  oath 
you  have  just  uttered." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Coconnas,  amazed  ;  "  Maitre  Ren£,  you 
are  a  wonderful  man  !  Now,  La  Mole,  it  is  your  turn." 

La  Mole  blushed,  and  seemed  embarrassed. 

"I,  M.  Ren6,"  he  stammered,  and  speaking  more  firmly 
as  he  proceeded,  "  do  not  desire  to  ask  you  if  I  am  in  love, 
for  I  know  that  I  am,  and  do  not  seek  to  conceal  it  from 
myself :  but  tell  me,  shall  I  be  beloved  in  return  ?  for,  in 
truth,  all  that  at  first  seemed  propitious  now  turns  against 
me." 

"  Perchance  you  have  not  done  all  you  should  do." 

"  What  is  there  to  do,  sir,  but  to  testify,  by  our  respect 
and  devotion  to  the  lady  of  our  thoughts,  that  she  is  really 
and  profoundly  beloved  ?  " 

"  You  know,"  replied  Ren6,  "  that  these  demonstra- 
tions are  frequently  very  insignificant." 

"  Then  must  I  despair  ?" 

"  By  no  means  ;  we  must  have  recourse  to  science. 
There  are  in  human  nature  antipathies  to  be  overcome — 
sympathies  which  may  be  forced.  Iron  is  not  the  load- 
stone ;  but  by  impregnating  it,  we  make  it,  in  its  turn, 
attract  iron." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  muttered  La  Mole  ;  "  but  I  have  an  objec- 
tion to  all  these  sorceries." 

"  Ah,  then,  if  you  have  any  such  objections,  you  should 
not  come  here,"  answered  Ren6. 

"  Come,  come,  this  is  child's  play  ! "  interposed  Co- 
connas. "  Maitre  Ren6,  can  you  show  me  the  devil  ?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  189 

"No,  M.  le  Comte." 

"I'm  sorry  for  that;  for  I  had  a  question  or  two  to 
put  to  his  dark  highness,  and  it  might  have  encouraged 
La  Mole." 

"  Well,  then,  let  it  be  so,"  said  La  Mole,  "let  us  go 
to  the  point  at  once.  They  have  spoken  to  me  of  figures 
modeled  in  wax  after  the  resemblance  of  the  beloved 
object.  Is  this  a  method  ?" 

"  An  infallible  one." 

"  And  in  the  experiment,  there  is  nothing  which  can  in 
any  way  affect  the  life  or  health  of  the  person  beloved  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  Let  us  try,  then." 

"  Shall  I  make  first  trial  ?  "  said  Coconnas. 

"  No,"  said  La  Mole,  "  since  I  have  begun,  I  will  go 
through  to  the  end." 

At  this  moment,  some  one  rapped  lightly  at  the  door — 
so  lightly  that  Maitre  Rene  alone  heard  the  noise  for 
which  he  had  been  awaiting. 

He  put,  without  any  hesitation,  his  ear  to  the  pipe, 
whilst  he  made  several  inquiries  of  La  Mole.  Then  he 
added,  suddenly  : 

"  And  then  think  well  of  your  wish,  and  call  the  per- 
son whom  you  love." 

La  Mole  knelt,  as  if  about  to  name  a  divinity  ;  and 
Rene,  going  into  the  other  compartment,  went  out  noise- 
lessly by  the  exterior  staircase,  and  an  instant  afterwards, 
light  steps  trod  the  flooring  of  his  shop. 

La  Mole  rose,  and  beheld  before  him  Maitre  Rene. 
The  Florentine  held  in  his  hand  a  small  figure  in  wax, 
very  indifferently  modeled,  and  wearing  a  crown  and 
mantle. 

"  Do  you  desire  to  be  always  beloved  by  your  royal  mis- 
tress ?  "  demanded  the  perfumer. 

"Yes,  if  my  life — my  soul,  should  be  the  sacrifice  I" 
replied  La  Mole. 

"Well,"  said  the  Florentine,  taking  with  the  ends  of 
his  finger  some  drops  of  water  from  an  ewer,  sprinkling 
them  over  the  figure,  and  muttering  certain  Latin  words. 


190  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

La  Mole  shuddered,  believing  that  some  sacrilege  was 
being  committed. 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?"  he  inquired. 

"  I  am  christening  this  figure  with  the  name  of  Mar- 
guerite." 

"  For  what  purpose  ?  " 

"To  establish  a  sympathy." 

Ren6  then  traced  on  a  small  strip  of  red  paper  certain 
cabalistic  characters,  put  it  into  the  eye  of  a  steel  needle, 
and  with  the  needle  pierced  the  small  wax  model  in  the 
heart. 

Strange  to  say,  at  the  orifice  of  the  wound  appeared  a 
small  drop  of  blood,  and  then  he  burnt  a  piece  of  paper. 

The  warmth  of  the  needle  melted  the  wax,  and  dried  up 
the  spot  of  blood. 

"  Thus/'  said  Rene,  "by  the  force  of  sympathy,  your 
love  shall  pierce  and  burn  the  heart  of  the  woman  whom 
yon  love." 

Coconnas,  as  the  bolder  spirit  of  the  two,  laughed,  and 
in  a  low  tone  jested  at  the  whole  affair ;  but  La  Mole, 
amorous  and  superstitious,  felt  a  cold  dew  start  from  the 
roots  of  his  hair. 

"And  now,"  continued  Rene,  "press  your  lips  to  the 
lips  of  the  figure,  and  say  :  '  Marguerite,  I  love  thee  ! 
Come,  Marguerite,  come  ! ' ' 

La  Mole  obeyed. 

At  this  moment  they  heard  the  door  of  the  second 
chamber  open,  and  light  steps  approach.  Coconnas,  curi- 
ous and  incredulous,  drew  his  poniard,  and  fearing  a  re- 
buke from  Rene  if  he  raised  the  tapestry,  cut  a  small  piece 
out  with  his  dagger,  and  applying  his  eye  to  the  hole, 
uttered  a  cry  of  astonishment,  to  which  two  female  voices 
responded. 

"What  is  it  ?"  exclaimed  La  Mole,  nearly  dropping  the 
waxen  figure,  which  Ren6  caught  from  his  hands. 

"  Why,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers 
and  Madame  Marguerite  are  there  ! " 

"Well,  then,  incredulous  !  "  replied  Ren6,  with  an  aus- 
tere smile,  "  do  you  still  doubt  the  force  of  sympathy  ?  ** 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  191 

La  Mole  was  petrified  on  seeing  the  Queen  ;  Coconnas 
was  amazed  at  beholding  Madame  de  Nevers.  One  be- 
lieved that  the  sorceries  of  Rene  had  evoked  the  specter 
of  Marguerite :  the  other,  seeing  the  door  half  open,  by 
which  the  lovely  phantoms  had  entered,  gave  at  once  a 
worldly  and  substantial  explanation  to  "the  mystery. 

Whilst  La  Mole  was  crossing  himself  and  sighing,  Co- 
connas, who  had  driven  away  all  ideas  of  the  interference 
of  the  foul  fiend  by  the  aid  of  his  strong  powers  of  incred- 
ulity, having  observed,  through  the  chink  in  the  curtain, 
the  astonishment  of  Madame  de  Nevers  and  the  somewhat 
caustic  smile  of  Marguerite,  judged  it  to  be  a  decisive 
moment,  and  understanding  that  a  man  may  say  in  behalf 
of  a  friend  what  he  cannot  say  for  himself,  instead  of  go- 
ing to  Madame  de  Nevers,  went  straight  to  Marguerite, 
and  bending  his  knee,  after  the  fashion  of  the  great 
Artaxerxes,  cried,  in  a  voice  not  deficient  in  effect  : 

"  Madame,  this  very  moment,  at  the  demand  of  my 
friend  the  Count  de  la  Mole,  Maitre  Ren6  evoked  your 
spirit ;  and  to  my  utter  astonishment,  your  spirit  is  ac- 
companied with  a  body  most  dear  to  us,  and  which  I  rec- 
ommend to  my  friend.  Shade  of  her  majesty  the  Queen 
of  Navarre,  will  you  desire  the  body  of  your  companion  to 
come  on  the  other  side  of  the  curtain  ?  " 

Marguerite  laughed  heartily,  and  made  a  sign  to  Henri- 
ette,  who  passed  to  the  other  side  of  the  curtain. 

"  La  Mole,  my  friend,"  continued  Coconnas,  "  be  as 
eloquent  as  Demosthenes,  as  Cicero,  as  the  Chancellor  de 
l'H6pital  !  and  be  assured  that  my  life  will  be  perilled 
if  you  do  not  persuade  the  body  of  Madame  de  Nevers 
that  I  am  her  most  devoted,  most  obedient,  and  most  faith- 
ful servant." 

"  But "  stammered  La  Mole. 

"  Do  as  I  desire  !  And  you,  Maitre  Ren6,  watch  that 
we  are  not  interrupted." 

Rene"  did  as  Coconnas  desired  him. 

"  Mordi!  sir,"  said  Marguerite,  "you  are  a  man  of 
sense.  I  listen  to  you.  What  have  you  to  say  ?  " 

"I  have  to  say  to  you,  madauie,  that  the  shadow  of  my 


192  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

friend — for  he  is  a  shadow,  and  he  proves  it  by  not  utter- 
ing a  single  syllable — I  say,  then,  that  this  shadow  has 
supplicated  me  to  use  the  faculty  which  material  bodies 
possess,  and  to  say  to  you  :  Lovely  Shadow,  the  gentle- 
man who  thus  lost  his  corporeality  has  lost  it  by  the  rigor 
of  your  eyes.  If  you  were  yourself,  I  would  ask  Maitre 
Rene  to  plunge  me  in  some  sulphureous  hole  rather  than 
hold  such  language  to  the  daughter  of  Henry  II.,  the 
sister  of  King  Charles  IX.,  and  the  wife  of  the  King  of 
Navarre.  But  shadows  are  freed  from  all  terrestrial  pride, 
and  are  never  haughty  when  they  love.  Therefore,  pray 
of  your  body,  madame,  to  bestow  a  little  love  on  poor  La 
Mole — a  soul  in  trouble,  if  ever  there  was  one  ;  a  soul  first 
persecuted  by  friendship,  which  three  times  thrust  into 
him  several  inches  of  cold  steel  ;  a  soul  burnt  by  the  fire 
of  your  eyes — fire  a  thousand  times  more  consuming  than 
all  the  flames  of  Tartarus  !  Have  pity,  then,  on  this  poor 
soul  !  Love  a  little  what  was  the  handsome  La  Mole  ;  and 
if  you  no  longer  possess  speech,  ah  !  bestow  a  gesture,  a 
smile  upon  him.  The  soul  of  my  friend  is  a  very  intelli- 
gent soul,  and  will  easily  comprehend.  Be  kind  to  him, 
then  ;  or,  mordi!  I  will  pass  my  sword  through  the  body 
of  Rene,  in  order  that,  by  virtue  of  the  power  which  he 
possesses  over  spirits,  he  may  force  yours,  which  he  has 
already  so  opportunely  evoked,  to  do  all  a  shadow  so 
amiably  disposed  as  yours  appears  to  be,  should  do." 

Marguerite  could  not  repress  a  burst  of  laughter  at  this 
tirade  ;  yet,  preserving  the  silence  which,  on  such  an  oc- 
casion, may  be  supposed  characteristic  of  a  royal  shade, 
she  presented  her  hand  to  Coconnas,  who  took  it  tenderly 
in  his  own,  and,  calling  to  La  Mole,  said  : 

"  Shade  of  my  friend,  come  hither  instantly  ! " 

La  Mole,  amazed,  overcome,  silently  obeyed. 

"  'Tis  well/'  said  Coconnas,  taking  him  by  the  back  of 
the  head  ;  "  and  now  bring  the  shadow  of  your  handsome 
brown  countenance  into  contact  with  the  white  and  vap- 
orous hand  before  you." 

And  Coconnas,  suiting  the  "  action  to  the  word,"  placed 
this  most  delicate  hand  to  La  Mole's  lips,  and  kept  them 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  193 

for  a  moment  respectfully  united,  without  the  hand  seek- 
ing to  withdraw  itself  from  the  gentle  pressure. 

La  Mole  then,  summoning  his  presence  of  mind,  sud- 
denly rose,  and  leaving  the  hand  of  Marguerite  in  that  of 
Cocounas,  took  himself  that  of  the  Duchess  de  Nevers, 
and  bending  his  knee,  said  : 

"  Loveliest — most  adorable  of  women — I  speak  of  living 
women,  and  not  of  shadows  ! "  and  he  turned  a  look  and 
a  smile  to  Marguerite  ;  "  allow  a  soul  released  from  its 
mortal  trappings  to  repair  the  absence  of  a  body  fully  ab- 
sorbed by  material  friendship.  M.  de  Coconnas,  whom 
you  see,  is  but  a  man — a  man  of  bold  and  hardy  frame,  of 
flesh  handsome  to  gaze  upon  perchance,  but  perishable, 
like  all  flesh.  Yet  although  a  stalwart  and  right  knightly 
gentleman,  who,  as  you  have  seen,  distributes  as  heavy  blows 
as  were  ever  seen  in  wide  France — this  champion,  so  full  of 
eloquence  in  presence  of  a  spirit,  dares  not  accost  a  female 
body  in  the  flesh.  'Tis  therefore  he  has  addressed  the 
shadow  of  the  queen,  charging  me  to  speak  to  your  lovely 
body,  and  to  tell  you  that  he  lays  at  your  feet  his  soul  and 
heart ;  that  he  entreats  from  your  divine  eyes  a  look  in 
pity — from  your  rosy  fingers,  to  beckon  him  with  a  sign, 
and  from  your  musical  and  heavenly  voice  to  say  those 
words  which  he  never  can  forget ;  if  not,  he  has  suppli- 
cated another  thing — and  that  is,  in  case  he  should  not 
soften  you,  you  will  pass,  for  the  second  time,  my  sword — 
which  is  a  real  blade,  for  swords  have  no  shadows  but  in 
the  sunshine — pass  my  sword  right  through  his  body,  for 
he  can  live  no  longer  if  you  do  not  authorize  him  to  live 
exclusively  for  you/* 

Henriette's  eyes  (she  herself  had  been  a  little  jealous  of 
Coconnas's  address  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre)  turned  from 
La  Mole,  to  whom  she  had  listened,  towards  Coconnas, 
to  see  if  the  expression  of  that  gentleman's  countenance 
harmonized  with  the  loveful  address  of  his  friend.  It 
seemed  that  she  was  satisfied,  for  blushing,  breathless, 
conquered,  she  said  to  Coconuas,  with  a  smile,  which  dis- 
closed a  double  row  of  pearls  enclosed  in  coral : 

"  Is  this  true  ?  " 


194  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Mordi!  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  fascinated  by  her  look, 
"  it  is  true,  indeed.  Oh,  yes,  madame,  it  is  true — true  on 
my  life' — true  on  my  death  ! " 

"  There,  then,"  said  Henriette  extending  to  him  her 
hand  whilst  her  eyes  proclaimed  the  feelings  of  her  heart. 

Coconnas  and  La  Mole  each  approached  his  lady-love, 
when  suddenly  the  door  at  the  bottom  opened,  and  Rene 
appeared. 

"  Silence  ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  which  at  once 
damped  all  the  ardor  of  the  lovers  ;  "  silence  ! " 

And  they  heard  in  the  solid  wall  the  sound  of  a  key  in 
a  lock,  and  of  a  door  grating  on  its  hinges. 

"But,"  said  Marguerite,  haughtily,  "I  should  think 
that  no  one  has  the  right  to  enter  whilst  we  are  here  I" 

"Not  the  queen-mother?"  murmured  Rene  in  her 
ear. 

Marguerite  instantly  rushed  out  by  the  exterior  stair- 
case, leading  La  Mole  after  her  ;  Henriette  and  Coconnas 
followed  them. 

They  all  four  fled,  as  fly  at  the  first  noise  the  birds  we 
have  seen  engaged  in  loving  parley  on  the  boughs  of  a 
flowering  shrub. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    BLACK   HENS. 

IT  was  time  for  the  two  couples  to  disappear.  Cath- 
erine turned  the  key  in  the  lock,  just  as  Coconnas  and 
Madame  de  Nevers  closed  the  secret  door,  and  Catherine 
could  hear  their  steps  on  the  stairs. 

She  cast  a  suspicious  glance  around,  and  then  fixing  her 
eyes  on  Rene,  who  stood  motionless  before  her,  said  : 

"Who  was  that?" 

"  Only  some  lovers,  who  are  quite  content  with  the  as- 
surance I  gave  them,  that  they  are  really  in  love." 

"  Never  mind  them,"  said  Catherine,  shrugging  her 
shoulders  :  "  is  there  no  one  here  ?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  196 

"  No  one  but  your  majesty  and  myself. " 

"  Have  you  done  what  I  ordered  yon  ?  " 

"  About  the  two  black  hens  ?  " 

"Yes!" 

"  They  are  ready,  madame  ?  " 

"  Ah/'  muttered  Catherine,  "  if  you  were  a  Jew  ! " 

"  Why  a  Jew,  madame  ?  " 

"  Because  you  could  then  read  the  Hebrew  treatises 
concerning  sacrifices.  I  have  had  one  of  them  translated, 
and  I  found  that  it  was  not  in  the  heart  or  livei  that  the 
Hebrews  sought  for  omens  ;  but  in  the  brain,  and  the 
letters  traced  there  by  the  all-powerful  hand  of  destiny." 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  so  I  have  heard  from  an  old  rabbi." 

"There  are,"  said  Catherine,  "  characters  thus  marked 
that  reveal  all  the  future.  Only  the  Chaldean  seers  rec- 
ommend  " 

"  What  ?"  asked  Eene,  seeing  the  queen  hesitate. 

"  That  the  experiment  shall  be  tried  on  the  human 
brain,  as  more  developed  and  more  nearly  sympathizing 
with  the  wishes  of  the  consulter." 

"  Alas  !  "  said  Rene,  "  Your  majesty  knows  it  is  im- 
possible." 

"Difficult,  at  least,"  said  Catherine;  "if  we  had 
known  this  at  the  St.  Bartholomew,  what  a  rich  harvest 
we  might  have  had.  But  I  will  think  of  it  the  first 
time  anybody  is  to  be  hanged.  Meantime,  let  us  do  what 
we  can.  Is  the  chamber  of  sacrifice  prepared  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  Let  us  go  there." 

Rene  lighted  a  taper  made  of  strange  substances,  and 
emitting  strong  odors,  and  preceded  Catherine  into  the 
cell. 

Catherine  selected  from  amongst  the  sacrificial  instru- 
ments a  knife  of  blue  steel,  whilst  Eene  took  up  one  of 
the  fowls  that  were  crouched  in  the  corner. 

"  How  shall  we  proceed  ?  " 

"  We  will  examine  the  liver  of  the  one  and  the  brain  of 
the  other.  If  these  two  experiments  lead  to  the  same  result 
with  the  former,  we  must  needs  be  convinced." 


196  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"With  which  shall  we  commence  ?" 

"  With  the  liver." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Ren6,  and  he  fastened  the  bird  down 
to  two  rings  attached  to  the  little  altar,  so  that  the  crea- 
ture, turned  on  its  back,  could  only  struggle,  without  stir- 
ring from  the  spot. 

Catherine  opened  its  breast  with  a  single  stroke  of  her 
knife  ;  the  fowl  uttered  three  cries,  and,  after  some  con- 
vulsions, expired. 

"  Always  three  cries  !  "  said  Catherine  ;  "  three  signs  of 
death." 

She  then  opened  the  body. 

"  And  the  liver  inclining  to  the  left — always  to  the  left, 
a  triple  death,  followed  by  a  downfall.  'Tis  terrible, 
Rene." 

"  We  must  see,  madame,  whether  the  presages  from  the 
second  correspond  with  those  of  the  first." 

Ren6  threw  the  dead  fowl  into  a  corner,  and  went  to- 
wards the  other,  which,  endeavoring  to  escape,  and  seeing 
itself  pent  up  in  a  corner,  flew  suddenly  over  Rene's  head, 
and  in  its  flight  extinguished  the  magic  taper  Catherine 
held. 

"  Thus  shall  our  race  be  extinguished,"  said  the  queen  : 
"  death  shall  breathe  upon  it,  and  destroy  it  from  the  face 
of  the  earth  !  Yet  three  sons  !  three  sons ! "  she  mur- 
mured, sorrowfully. 

Rene  took  from  her  the  extinguished  taper,  and  went  to 
relight  it. 

On  his  return,  he  found  the  hen  huddled  in  a  corner. 

"  This  time,"  said  Catherine,  "  I  will  prevent  the  cries, 
for  I  will  cut  off  the  head  at  once. " 

And  accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  hen  was  bound,  Cath- 
erine severed  the  head  at  a  single  blow ;  but  in  th6  last 
agony  the  beak  opened  three  times,  and  then  closed  for- 
ever. 

"  Seest  thou,"  said  Catherine,  terrified,  "  instead  of 
three  cries,  three  sighs  ? — they  will  all  three  die.  Let  us 
now  see  the  brain." 

She  severed  the  comb  from  the  head,  and  carefully  open- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  197 

ing  the  skull,  endeavored  to  trace  a  letter  formed  in  the 
bloody  cavities  that  divide  the  brain. 

"  Always  so  ! "  cried  she,  clasping  her  hands ;  "  and 
this  time  clearer  than  ever ;  see  here  ! " 

Rene  approached. 

"What  is  this  letter  ?"  asked  Catherine. 

"  An  H,"  replied  Rene. 

"  How  many  times  repeated  ?  " 

"  Four/'  said  he. 

"  Ay,  ay  !  I  see  it  !  that  is  to  say,  HENRY  IV.  Oh," 
cried  she,  casting  the  knife  from  her,  "I  am  accursed  in 
my  posterity  ! " 

She  was  terrible,  that  woman,  pale  as  a  corpse,  lighted 
by  the  dismal  taper,  and  clasping  her  bloody  hands. 

"  He  will  reign  ! "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  he  will  reign  !  " 

"  He  will  reign  ! "  repeated  Rene,  buried  in  medita- 
tion. 

The  gloomy  expression  of  Catherine's  face  soon  disap- 
peared before  a  sudden  thought  had  passed  through  her 
mind. 

"Rene, "said  she,  without  lifting  her  head  from  her 
breast,  "  Rene,  do  you  recollect  the  terrible  history  of  a 
doctor  at  Perugia,  who  killed  at  once,  by  the  aid  of  a 
pomade,  his  daughter  and  his  daughter's  lover  ?" 

"  Yes,  madame." 

"  And  this  lover " 

"  Was  King  Ladislaus,  madame." 

"  Ah,  yes  !  "  murmured  she  ;  "  have  you  any  account  of 
this  history  ?  " 

*'  I  have  an  old  book  that  mentions  it,"  replied  Rene. 

"  Well,  let  us  go  into  the  other  chamber,  and  then  you 
can  show  it  me." 

They  quitted  the  cell,  the  door  of  which  Rene  closed 
after  him 

"  Has  your  majesty  any  other  orders  to  give  me  concern- 
ing the  sacrifices  ?  " 

"  No,  Rene,  none  ;  I  am  sufficiently  satisfied  for  the 
present  ;  only  the  next  execution  you  must  arrange  with 
the  executioner  for  the  head."' 


198  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Rene  bowed  and  approached  the  shelves,  where  stood 
the  books,  reached  down  one  of  them,  opened  it,  turned 
over  the  leaves  an  instant,  and  then  handed  it  to  the 
queen-mother. 

Catherine  sat  down  at  a  table,  Ren6  placed  the  magic 
taper  close  to  her,  and  by  its  dim  and  vivid  glare  she  read 
a  few  lines. 

"  Good  !"  said  she  ;  "this  is  all  I  wanted  to  know." 

She  rose  from  her  seat,  leaving  the  book  on  the  table, 
but  bearing  away  the  idea  that  had  germinated  in  her 
mind,  and  which  would  ripen  there. 

Ren§  waited  respectfully,  taper  in  hand,  until  the  queen, 
who  seemed  about  to  retire,  should  give  him  fresh  orders 
or  ask  fresh  questions. 

Catherine  walked  up  and  down  several  times  without 
speaking.  Then  suddenly  stopping  before  Rene,  and  fix- 
ing on  him  her  eyes,  round  and  piercing  as  those  of  a  bird 
of  prey : 

"  Confess  you  have  given  her  some  love-draught/'  said 
she. 

"  Whom  ?"  asked  Ren6,  starting. 

"LaSauve." 

"  I,  madame  ?  "  said  Ren6  ;  "  never  1" 

"Never?* 

"  I  swear  it." 

"  There  must  be  some  magic  in  it,  however,  for  he  is 
desperately  in  love  with  her,  though  he  is  not  famous  for 
his  constancy." 

"  Who,  madame  ?  " 

"He,  Henry,  the  accursed — he  who  is  to  succeed  my 
three  sons — he  who  shall  one  day  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
France,  and  be  called  Henry  IV.,  and  is  yet  the  son  of 
Jeanne  d'Albret." 

And  Catherine  accompanied  these  words  with  a  sigh 
that  made  Ren6  shudder,  for  he  thought  of  the  famous 
gloves  he  had  prepared  by  Catherine's  order  for  the  Queen 
of  Navarre. 

"  He  runs  after  her  still,  then  ?"  said  Rene. 

"  Still,"  replied  the  queen. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  199 

"  I  thought  that  the  King  of  Navarre  was  quite  in  love 
with  his  wife  now." 

"  All  a  farce,  Ren6.  I  know  not  why,  but  everybody  is 
seeking  to  deceive  me.  My  daughter  Marguerite  is  leagued 
against  me ;  perhaps  she,  too,  is  looking  forward  to  her 
brother's  death  ;  perhaps  she,  too,  hopes  to  be  Queen  of 
France." 

"  Perhaps  so/'  re-echoed  Ren6,  resuming  his  own 
reverie. 

"  Ha  I  we  shall  see,"  said  Catherine,  advancing  towards 
the  great  door,  for  she  doubtless  judged  it  useless  to  de- 
scend the  secret  stair,  after  Renews  assurance  that  they 
were  alone. 

Rene  preceded  her,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  stood  in 
the  laboratory  of  the  perfumer. 

"  You  promised  me  some  fresh  cosmetics  for  my  hands 
and  lips,  Rene  ;  the  winter  is  approaching,  and  you  know 
how  tender  my  skin  is." 

"  I  have  already  thought  of  that,  madame ;  and  I  in- 
tended to  bring  you  some  to-morrow." 

"  I  shall  not  be  visible  before  nine  o'clock  to-morrow 
evening ;  I  shall  be  occupied  with  my  devotions  during 
the  day." 

"  I  will  be  at  the  Louvre  at  nine  o'clock,  then, 
madame." 

"  Madame  de  Sauve  has  beautiful  hands  and  lips,"  said 
Catherine,  in  a  careless  tone.  "What  pomade  does  she 
use  ?  " 

"  Heliotrope." 

"For  her  hands?" 

"Yes." 

"What  for  her  lips?" 

"  She  is  going  to  try  a  new  composition  of  my  invention, 
and  of  which  I  intended  to  bring  your  majesty  a  box  at 
the  same  time." 

Catherine  mused  an  instant. 

"She  is  certainly  very  beautiful,"  said  she,  pursuing 
her  secret  thoughts,  "and  the  passion  of  the  Bearnais  for 
her  is  astonishing." 


200  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"And  so  devoted  to  your  majesty/*  said  Rene1. 

Catherine  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  When  a  woman  loves,  is  she  faithful  to  any  one  but 
her  lover  ? — You  must  have  given  her  some  love-spell, 
Rene." 

"I  swear  I  have  not,  madame." 

"  Well,  well ;  we'll  say  no  more  ahout  it.  Show  me 
this  opiate  you  spoke  of,  that  is  to  make  her  lips  still 
more  rosy." 

Rene  approached  a  drawer,  and  showed  Catherine  six 
small  silver  boxes  of  a  round  shape,  ranged  side  by  side. 

"This  is  the  only  spell  she  ever  asked  me  for,"  observed 
Ren6  ;  "  it  is  true,  as  your  majesty  says,  I  have  composed 
it  expressly  for  her,  for  her  lips  are  so  tender  that  the  sun 
and  wind  affect  them  equally." 

Catherine  opened  one  of  the  boxes  ;  it  contained  a 
beautiful  carmine  paste. 

"  Give  me  some  paste  for  my  hands,  Rene,"  said  she  ; 
"  I  will  take  it  away  with  me,  for  I  have  none." 

Rene  took  the  taper,  and  went  to  seek,  in  a  private 
drawer,  what  the  queen  asked  for.  As  he  turned,  he 
fancied  that  he  saw  the  queen  conceal  a  box  under  her 
mantle  ;  he  was,  however,  too  familiar  with  these  habits 
of  the  queen  to  affect  to  perceive  the  movement  ;  so  wrap- 
ping the  cosmetic  she  demanded  in  a  paper  bag,  orna- 
mented with  fleurs-de-lis : 

"  Here  it  is,  madame,"  he  said. 

"  Thanks,  Rene,"  returned  the  queen :  then,  after  a 
moment's  silence  :  "  Do  not  give  Madame  de  Sauve  that 
paste  for  a  few  days ;  I  wish  to  make  the  first  trial  of  it 
myself." 

And  she  approached  the  door. 

"  Shall  I  have  the  honor  of  escorting  your  majesty?" 
asked  Ren6. 

"  Only  to  the  end  of  the  bridge,"  replied  Catherine  ; 
tc  my  gentlemen  and  my  litter  wait  for  me  there." 

They  left  the  house,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Rue  Baril- 
lerie  four  gentlemen  on  horseback  and  a  plain  litter  were 
in  attendance. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  201 

On  his  return,  Rene's  first  care  was  to  count  his  boxes 
of  opiates— one  was  wanting. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MADAME   DE  SATJVE's   CHAMBER. 

CATHERINE  had  calculated  rightly  in  supposing  that 
Henry  would  speedily  resume  his  habit  of  passing  his 
evenings  with  Madame  de  Sauve.  'Tis  true  that  the  ut- 
most caution  was  at  first  observed  in  making  these  visits, 
but  by  degrees  all  precaution  was  laid  aside,  and  so  openly 
did  the  King  of  Navarre  avow  his  preference  for  the  so- 
ciety of  Madame  de  Sauve,  that  Catherine  experienced 
not  the  smallest  difficulty  in  ascertaining  that,  however  her 
daughter  Marguerite  might  claim  the  title  of  his  queen, 
the  real  sovereign  of  his  affections  was  the  fair  Char- 
lotte. 

We  have  already  made  a  slight  mention  of  these  apart- 
ments, but  for  the  reader's  better  information,  we  will 
state  that  they  were  situated  on  the  second  floor  of  the 
palace,  almost  immediately  above  those  occupied  by  Henry 
himself,  and  in  common  with  the  suites  of  rooms  occupied 
by  such  as  were  officially  employed  by  the  royal  family, 
were  small,  dark,  and  inconvenient ;  the  door  opened  upon  a 
corridor,  feebly  lighted  by  an  arched  window  at  the  fur- 
ther end,  but  so  completely  did  the  cumbrous  sashes  in- 
terfere with  the  purpose  for  which  the  window  in  question 
had  been,  no  doubt,  originally  intended,  that  it  was  only 
during  a  few  hours  of  a  sunshiny  day  that  a  few  strag- 
gling rays  gained  admittance ;  during  winter  it  was 
necessary  to  light  the  lamp  placed  at  the  end  by  two 
o'clock  in  the  day,  and  the  said  lamp  only  containing  a 
certain  portion  of  oil,  it  followed,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
that  by  the  hour  of  Henry's  usual  visit,  it  was  exhausted, 
leaving  the  whole  corridor  in  a  state  of  darkness. 

The  suite  of  rooms  devoted  to  the  service  of  Madame  de 
Sauve  consisted  of  a  small  antechamber,  lumg  with  yellow 


202  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

damask  ;  a  receiving-room,  with  hangings  of  blue  velvet ; 
a  sleeping-room,  with  its  bed  of  curiously  carved  wood, 
heavy  curtains  of  rose-colored  satin,  and  tester  composed 
of  looking-glass,  set  in  silver,  and  paintings  representing 
the  loves  of  Venus  and  Adonis  ;  such  was  the  residence,  or 
rather  nest,  of  the  lovely  Charlotte  de  la  Sauve,  lady-in- 
waiting  to  her  majesty  Queen  Catherine. 

A  more  careful  examination  of  the  apartments  we 
.have  just  been  describing  discovered  a  toilet  abundantly 
and  luxuriously  provided  with  all  the  accessories  of  female 
beauty ,  nearly  opposite  to  which  was  a  small  door 
opening  into  a  kind  of  oratory,  where,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  two  steps  from  the  ground,  stood  a  carved  prie- 
dieu.  Against  the  walls  were  suspended  three  or  four 
paintings,  representing  the  most  striking  passages  in  the 
lives  of  the  saints,  mingled  with  arms  for  female  use,  both 
offensive  and  defensive  ;  for  in  these  times  of  mysterious 
intrigue,  women  carried  arms  as  well  as  men,  and  very 
frequently  employed  them  as  skilfully. 

The  evening  on  which  we  have  introduced  the  reader  to 
Madame  de  Sauve's  apartments  was  the  one  following  the 
scenes  in  which  Maitre  Een6  had  played  so  conspicuous  a 
part;  and  the  fair  Charlotte,  seated  beside  Henry  in  her 
sleeping  chamber,  was  eloquently  discoursing  of  her  fears 
and  affection,  and  touched  on  the  devotion  she  had  ex- 
hibited the  night  succeeding  the  massacre  of  St.  Barthol- 
omew— the  only  night  Henry  had  passed  in  Marguerite's 
apartments. 

Henry,  meanwhile,  though  duly  grateful  for  the  deep 
interest  expressed  for  him  by  the  beautiful  creature,  who 
looked  more  than  usually  captivating  in  the  simple  white 
peignoir  in  which  she  was  robed,  was  more  grave  and 
thoughtful  than  exactly  satisfied  Madame  de  Sauve,  who 
had  strictly  obeyed  Catherine's  injunctions  to  evince  the 
most  extreme  affection  for  Henry.  She  eagerly  and  search- 
ingly  gazed  upon  him,  as  though  to  ascertain  how  far  his 
words  and  looks  agreed. 

"  Charlotte,"  said  Henry,  at  last,  roused  by  her  manner 
from  his  meditative  mood,  "  there  is  one  question  I  want 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  £03 

to  ask  you,  and  I  trust  to  you  to  answer  me  truly.  How 
comes  it  that,  all  at  once,  I  find  you  listening  so  readily  to 
my  suit,  and  lavishing  upon  so  unworthy  a  creature  as  my- 
self the  rich  treasures  of  that  love  I  so  earnestly,  though 
vainly,  sought  to  obtain  before  my  marriage  ?  Something 
whispers  to  me  that  I  am  indebted  to  the  interference  of 
her  majesty  Queen  Catherine  for  the  delightful  change  I 
experience." 

Madame  blushed,  and  hastily  exclaimed,  "For  Heaven's 
sake,  speak  not  so  loud  when  you  name  the  queen-mother  !  " 

"Nay,"  answered  Henry,  with  such  an  air  of  confidence 
as  to  deceive  even  Madame  de  Sauve  herself,  "  there  was 
a  time  when  such  caution  was  requisite  ;  but  now  that  I 
am  her  daughter's  husband,  the  case  is  different." 

"Ah,  Henry  !  "  replied  Madame  de  Sauve,  "you  have 
been  sporting  with  my  credulity  in  persuading  me  you 
love  me  ;  'tis  too  plain  you  have  bestowed  your  affections 
with  your  hand — on  Madame  Marguerite." 

Henry  smiled. 

"  There  !"  exclaimed  Madame  de  Sauve,  "you  smile  so 
provokingly  that  I  feel  as  though  I  could  quarrel  with 
you,  and  forbid  you  ever  to  see  my  face  again  !  May  I  re- 
quest to  be  informed  what  your  majesty  meant  by  saying 
that  you  owed  my  love  to  the  orders  of  the  queen-mother  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  meant  this,  sweetheart,  and  nothing  more  : 
that,  though  your  heart  felt  inclined  to  return  my  love, 
you  durst  not  listen  to  its  dictates  till  authorized  by  Cath- 
erine herself.  But  be  content,  and  believe  that  I  fully  re- 
turn your  affection  ;  and  for  that  reason,  I  will  not  confide 
to  you  the  secret  working  of  my  thoughts,  lest  you  should 
be-a  sufferer  ;  for  the  friendship  of  the  queen  is  unstable 
— there  is  no  dependence  on  it — it  is  just  the  uncertain, 
changeable  regard  of  a  mother-in-law." 

This  was  not  the  point  at  which  Charlotte  aimed  ;  and 
it  seemed  to  her  as  though  an  impenetrable  barrier  arose 
to  separate  her  from  her  lover  directly  she  attempted  to 
sound  the  fathomless  recesses  of  his  heart.  Her  eyes  filled 
with  tears,  but  just  as  she  was  about  to  reply,  ten  o'clock 
struck. 


204  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Your  majesty  will  pardon  me  for  reminding  you  that 
it  is  late ;  and  I  am  required  to  be  early  in  my  attendance 
on  the  queen-mother  to-morrow  morning/' 

"  In  other  words,  you  are  tired  of  my  company,  and 
want  to  get  rid  of  me  ;  eh,  pretty  one  ?  Is  it  not  so  ?  " 
said  Henry. 

"  Nay,"  answered  Charlotte,  "  I  am  somewhat  indisposed 
to-night ;  and  as  I  fear  I  may  be  led  to  say  what  it  may  dis- 
please your  majesty  to  hear,  I  would  humbly  request  you 
to  retire,  and  leave  me  to  my  own  sad  thoughts." 

"  Well  ! "  cried  Henry,  "  be  it  as  you  will ;  but  by  way 
of  recompense  for  my  obedience,  will  you  not  allow  me  to 
be  present  while  that  beautiful  hair  is  arranged  for  the 
night  ?  " 

"  Does  not  your  majesty  fear  the  displeasure  of  Queen 
Marguerite,  should  you  protract  your  departure  ?" 

"  Charlotte,"  answered  Henry,  with  a  serious  air,  "  we 
agreed  never  to  allude  to  or  mention  the  name  of  the  Queen 
of  Navarre,  and  it  seems  to  me  as  though,  to-night,  we  had 
talked  of  nothing  else." 

Madame  de  Sauve  arose  with  a  sigh,  and  seated  herself 
before  her  toilet-table,  while  Henry,  drawing  a  chair  be- 
side her,  placed  one  knee  on  the  seat,  and  leaning  on  the 
back,  exclaimed  : 

"  Mercy  on  us  !  what  a  heap  of  wonderful  things  you 
have  here,  my  pretty  Charlotte  ! — scent-bottles,  powders, 
pots  of  perfume,  odoriferous  pastiles,  phials,  washes.  Who 
would  think  so  many  accessories  were  requisite  ere  beauty 
could  be  made  perfect  ?  " 

"Still,"  replied  Charlotte,  "it  seems  that  my  toilet 
lacks  the  one  needful  embellishment  that  would  enable  me 
to  reign  exclusively  over  your  majesty's  heart ! " 

"  Come,  come,  sweetheart,"  interrupted  Henry,.  "  do 
not  let  us  fall  back  upon  past  subjects,  but  tell  me — for  I 
ain  dying  to  know — what  is  the  use  of  this  delicately  small 
pencil  ?  Now,  if  I  were  good  at  guessing,  I  would  venture 
to  ask  if  it  were  intended  to  trace  out  the  arched  brow  of 
my  beautiful  Charlotte  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty  has  guessed  most  successfully  ;  'tis  even 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  205 

as  you  say,  for  marking  more  perfectly  the  form  of  the  eye- 
brow/' 

"  Then  reward  my  skill  by  explaining  the  purport  of 
this  little  ivory  rake  ?  " 

"  To  form  a  perfect  and  accurate  division  of  the  roots 
of  the  hair." 

"  And  this  charming  little  silver  box,  with  the  lid  so 
elegantly  wrought  and  embossed  ?  " 

"  That,  sire,  was  sent  to  me  from  Rene  ;  it  contains  the 
lip-salve  so  long  promised  by  him,  to  embellish  the  lips 
your  majesty  has  ere  now  deigned  to  admire." 

And,  with  a  view  to  exhibit  the  cosmetic  in  question  to 
Henry,  Charlotte  took  the  little  box  containing  it  in  her 
hands,  but,  just  as  she  was  about  to  open  it,  a  sudden 
knocking  at  the  door  made  the  lovers  start. 

"Madame,"  said  Dariole,  introducing  her  head  through 
the  curtains  that  hung  before  the  entrance  to  the  cham- 
ber, "some  one  knocks." 

"  Go,  see  who  it  is,  and  return  quickly,"  said  her  mistress. 

During  the  absence  of  the  confidante,  Henry  and  Char- 
lotte exchanged  looks  of  considerable  alarm ;  the  former 
contemplating  a  hasty  retreat  to  the  oratory,  which  had 
before  now  afforded  him  a  safe  hiding-place  when  similarly 
surprised. 

"  Madame  !  "  cried  Dariole,  "  'tis  Maltre  Rene,  the  per- 
fumer." 

At  this  name,  a  frown  darkened  the  brow  of  Henry,  and 
his  lips  were  suddenly  and  involuntarily  compressed. 

"  Shall  I  send  him  away  ?"  asked  Charlotte. 

"  By  no  means,"  answered  Henry  ;  "  Maitre  Rene  is  one 
of  those  persons  who  do  nothing  without  a  motive  ;  his 
coming  hither  is  for  some  design  or  reason  ;  therefore  ad- 
mit him  without  hesitation." 

"  Will  your  majesty  choose  to  conceal  yourself  ?" 

"  On  no  account,"  replied  Henry  ;  "for  Master  Rene, 
from  whom  nothing  is  hid,  knows  perfectly  well  of  my 
being  here." 

"  But  are  there  not  reasons  why  his  presence  should  be 
unpleasant  to  your  majesty  ?  " 


206  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  No  ! "  answered  Henry,  vainly  striving  to  conceal  his 
emotion,  "  none  whatever  ;  'tis  true  there  was  a  coolness 
between  us ;  but  since  the  night  of  St.  Bartholomew,  we 
have  made  up  all  our  differences/' 

"  Show  Maitre  Rene  in,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve  to 
Dariole. 

And  the  next  instant  Ren6  entered  the  chamber,  cast- 
ing around  him  a  quick,  searching  glance,  that  took  in 
the  assembled  group  as  well  as  every  trifling  circumstance. 
He  found  Madame  de  Sauve  sitting  before  her  toilet, 
and  Henry  reclining  on  the  sofa  at  the  opposite  end  of  the 
room,  so  that  while  the  full  light  fell  upon  Charlotte, 
Henry  remained  in  shadow. 

"  Madame,'*  said  Rene,  with  a  sort  of  respectful  freedom 
— "  I  come  to  offer  my  apologies  to  you." 

"  And  wherefore,  my  good  Ren6  ?  "  asked  Madame  de 
Sauve,  with  that  air  of  pleased  coquetry  with  which  a 
pretty  woman  beholds  the  means  of  rendering  her  beauty 
still  more  striking. 

"For  having  thus  long  delayed  fulfilling  my  promise 
of  inventing  a  fresh  beautifier  for  those  lovely  lips — 
and " 

"  And  for  deferring  the  performance  of  that  promise 
until  this  very  day  ? — that  is  what  you  mean,  is  it  not,  my 
worthy  Maitre  Rene  ?"  inquired  Charlotte. 

"This  day  ?"  repeated  Rene. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  'twas  but  this  evening,  not  long  since,  I 
received  this  box  from  you." 

"  Ah,  truly  :  I  had  indeed  forgotten  it,"  said  Ren 6, 
gazing  with  a  singular  expression  on  the  small  box  of  lip- 
salve lying  on  Madame  de  Sauve's  toilet-table,  and  which 
exactly  resembled  those  in  his  shop  ;  "  and  may  I  inquire 
whether  you  have  yet  made  trial  of  it  ?  " 

"  Not  yet :  I  was  just  about  to  do  so  when  you  entered. " 

The  countenance  of  Ren6  became  thoughtful,  a  change 
which  did  not  escape  the  observation  of  Henry,  whom,  in- 
deed, few  things  escaped. 

"What  ails  you,  Ren6  ?"  inquired  the  king. 

"Nothing,  sire,"  answered  Ren6.     "  I  was  but  waiting 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  207 

till  your  majesty  should  dondescend  to  address  me,  ere  I 
took  my  leave  of  Madame  la  Baronne." 

"Nay,  nay,"  answered  Henry,  smilingly,  "you  need  no 
words  of  mine  to  assure  yourself  that  I  am  always  happy 
to  see  you.  What  say  you,  Rene  ? — did  you  doubt 
that  ?  " 

Rene"  glanced  around  him,  and  seemed  as  though 
searchingly  examining  each  nook  and  corner  of  the  apart- 
ment ;  then,  suddenly  ceasing  his  survey,  he  so  placed 
himself  as  to  bring  both  Madame  de  Sauve  and  Henry 
within  his  gaze. 

Warned  by  that  admirable  instinct  which  in  Henry 
formed  almost  a  sixth  sense,  the  king  felt  persuaded  some 
strange  and  conflicting  struggle  was  going  on  in  the  mind 
of  the  perfumer,  and  hastily  turning  round,  so  as  to  throw 
his  own  features  into  shade,  while  those  of  the  Florentine 
were  fully  revealed,  he  said  : 

"  By  the  way,  what  brings  you  here  so  late  to-night, 
MaitreRenS  ?" 

"  Have  I  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  disturb  your  majesty 
by  my  visit  ?  "  replied  the  perfumer,  retreating  backwards 
to  the  door. 

"  Not  in  the  least,  I  promise  you  ;  but  I  should  like  to 
know  one  thing." 

"  What  is  that,  sire  ?  " 

"Whether  you  expected  to  find  me  here  ?  " 

"  I  was  quite  sure  your  majesty  was  nowhere  else." 

"  You  were  seeking  me,  probably  ?  " 

"I  am  at  least  very  happy  to  have  met  your  majesty." 

"You  have  something  to  say  to  me  ?"  persisted  Henry  ; 
"  come,  come,  'tis  useless  seeking  to  deny  it." 

"  'Tis  possible  I  have  somewhat  to  say  to  your  majesty," 
said  Rene. 

Charlotte  blushed,  and  a  dread  lest  the  revelation  the 
perfumer  seemed  tempted  to  make  to  Henry  might  relate 
to  her  previous  conduct  towards  the  king,  made  her 
desirous  of  cutting  short  the  conversation  ;  feigning, 
therefore,  so  entire  an  absorption  in  duties  of  her  toilette 
as  not  to  have  heard  a  word  that  had  passed,  she  suddenly 


208  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

broke  in  upon  it  by  exclaiming,  as  she  opened  the  box  of 
lip-salve  : 

' '  Ren6,  you  are  a  dear  good  man,  to  have  made  me  this 
beautiful  ointment  ;  and,  now  I  think  of  it,  it  will  be  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  make  use  of  it  while  you  are  here, 
that  you  may  assist  me  with  your  valuable  aid  and  direction 
as  to  the  right  mode  of  employing  it." 

So  saying,  she  dipped  the  tip  of  her  finger  in  the  ver- 
milion paste,  and  was  just  about  to  raise  it  to  her  lips. 

Ren6  shuddered,  and  half  extended  his  arm  to  prevent 
her.  The  hand  of  the  baronne  had  almost  touched  her 
lips. 

Henry,  concealed  in  deep  shadow,  marked  well  the  action 
of  the  one  and  the  start  of  the  other. 

Ren6  became  ghastly  pale  as  the  distance  between  the 
finger  of  Charlotte  and  her  lips  was  diminished  to  the 
smallest  possible  space  ;  then  suddenly  springing  forwards, 
he  arrested  her  arm  at  the  very  instant  that  Henry  arose 
with  the  same  intention.  The  king  instantly  fell  back  on 
the  sofa,  without  the  slightest  noise. 

"One  moment,  madame!"  cried  Ren6,  with  a  forced 
smile,  "but  this  salve  must  not  be  used  without  very 
particular  directions." 

"  And  who  will  supply  me  with  these  directions  ?  " 

"  I  will." 

"  And  when  ?  " 

"  Directly  I  have  finished  saying  what  I  have  to  say  to 
his  majesty  the  King  of  Navarre." 

Charlotte  opened  her  eyes  with  amazement  at  the 
singular  and  mysterious  conversation  which  was  being 
carried  on  without  her  understanding  a  word  of  its  import, 
and  she  continued  in  mute  astonishment,  holding  the  pot 
of  salve  in  one  hand,  and  gazing  on  the  extremity  of  the 
finger  tinged  by  the  roseate  ointment  she  had  intended  for 
her  lips. 

Meanwhile,  Henry  arose,  and  moved  by  an  idea  which, 
like  all  the  thoughts  of  the  young  king,  had  two  sides,  the 
one  apparently  superficial,  and  the  other  deep  and  profound, 
went  straight  to  Charlotte,  and,  taking  her  hand  reddened 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  209 

as  it  was  with  the  ointment,  feigned  to  be  about  to  carry  it 
to  his  lips. 

"  Wait  one  minute  ! "  exclaimed  Rene1,  eagerly  ;  "  but  an 
instant !  Be  kind  enough,  madame,  to  wash  your  beautiful 
hands  with  this  Naples  soap,  which  I  quite  forgot  to  send 
when  I  sent  the  salve,  but  which  I  now  have  the  honor 
of  presenting  to  you  myself. " 

And  drawing  from  its  silver  envelope  a  cake  of  greenish 
colored  soap,  he  put  it  into  a  gilt  basin,  poured  water 
upon  it,  and  bending  one  knee  to  the  ground,  he  presented 
the  whole  to  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  Why,  really,  Master  Rene/'  cried  Henry,  "  your 
gallantry  quite  astonishes  me  ;  you  put  our  court  beaux 
quite  out  of  the  field  I" 

"  Oh,  what  a  delicious  odor  ! "  exclaimed  Charlotte, 
rubbing  her  fair  hands  with  the  pearly  froth  that  arose 
from  the  balmy  soap. 

Rene,  unmoved  by  Henry's  raillery,  continued  to  fulfil 
his  self-imposed  duties  with  the  most  rigorous  exactitude  : 
putting  aside  the  basin  he  had  held,  he  presented  Charlotte 
with  a  towel  of  the  most  delicate  texture,  and  when  she  had 
thoroughly  dried  her  hands,  said  : 

"  And  now,  my  lord,  you  are  at  liberty  to  follow  your 
royal  inclination.** 

Charlotte  held  out  her  hand  to  Henry,  who  kissed  it  and 
returned  to  his  seat,  more  convinced  than  ever  that  some- 
thing most  extraordinary  was  going  on  in  the  mind  of  the 
Florentine. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Charlotte. 

The  Florentine  appeared  as  though  trying  to  collect  all 
his  resolution,  and  after  a  short  hesitation,  turned,  to  wards 
Henry, 


210  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"SIRE,    YOU   WILL  BE  KING  !  " 

{t  SIRE  ! "  said  Rene  to  Henry,  "  I  wish  to  speak  to  yon 
on  a  matter  which  has  for  a  long  time  occupied  my  atten- 
tion." 

"Of  perfumes  ?"  asked  Henry,  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,  yes,  sire — of  perfumes,"  replied  Rene,  with  a 
singular  tone  of  acquiescence. 

"  Well,  then,  speak  on  ;  for  it  is  a  subject  which  has 
much  interested  me." 

Rene  looked  at  the  king,  endeavoring  to  read  his 
thoughts,  but  they  were  impenetrable  ;  and  seeing  that 
his  scrutiny  was  unavailing,  he  continued  : 

"  One  of  my  friends,  sire,  has  just  arrived  from  Flor- 
ence :  this  friend  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  astrol- 

ogy." 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry,  "  I  know  it  is  a  Florentine  pur- 
suit." 

"  And  he  has,  in  association  with  the  leading  savants  of 
the  world,  drawn  the  horoscopes  of  the  principal  person- 
ages in  Europe." 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  Henry. 

"And  as  the  house  of  Bourbon  is  amongst  the  leading 
houses,  descending,  as  it  does,  from  the  Comte  du  Cler- 
mont,  fifth  son  of  Saint  Louis,  your  majesty  may  well  sup- 
pose that  yours  has  not  been  forgotten." 

Henry  listened  still  more  attentively  ;  adding,  with  a 
smile  as  indifferent  as  he  could  make  it :  "  And  do  you 
recollect  this  horoscope  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  "  answered  Rene,  shaking  his  head  ;  "  your  horo- 
scope is  one  not  easily  forgotten." 

"  Really  ! "  said  Henry,  with  an  ironical  look. 

"  Yes,  sire  ;  your  majesty,  according  to  the  indications 
of  this  horoscope,  is  called  to  the  most  brilliant  destiny." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  211 

The  eyes  of  the  young  prince  emitted  involuntarily  a 
lightning  glance,  and  then  as  rapidly  reassumed  its  look 
of  indifference. 

"All  these  Italian  oracles  are  flatterers,*'  said  Henry, 
"  and  he  who  flatters,  lies.  Are  there  not  some  who  say  I 
shall  command  armies  ?  " 

And  he  burst  into  loud  laughter.  But  an  observer  less 
occupied  than  Ren6  would  have  marked  and  compre- 
hended the  effort  this  laugh  had  cost. 

"  Sire,"  said  Rene,  coolly,  "  the  horoscope  announces 
better  than  that." 

"Does  it  announce,  that  at  the  head  of  one  of  these 
armies  I  shall  gain  battles  ?  " 

"Better  than  that,  sire." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Henry,  "  at  all  events  I  shall  be  a 
conqueror." 

"  Sire,  you  will  be  Icing  !" 

"  Eh,  ventre-saint-gris  !  "  said  Henry,  repressing  a  vio- 
lent palpitation  of  the  heart ;  "am  I  not  so  already  ?" 

"  Sire,  my  friend  knows  what  he  promises ;  not  only 
will  you  be  king,  but  you  will  reign." 

"And  then,"  said  Henry,  in  the  same  strain  of  raillery, 
"your  friend  requires  ten  golden  crowns,  does  he  not, 
Rene  ?  for  such  a  prophecy,  in  such  times,  is  indeed  an 
ambitions  one.  Well,  well,  Rene,  I  am  not  rich,  so  I  will 
give  your  friend  five  at  once,  and  the  other  five  when  the 
prophecy  shall  be  realized." 

"  Sire,"  said  Rene,  "  allow  me  to  proceed." 

"  What,  is  not  that  all  ?  "  said  Henry.  "  Well,  if  I  am 
an  emperor,  I  will  give  double." 

"  Sire,  my  friend  came  from  Florence  with  his  horo- 
scope, which  he  has  renewed  in  Paris,  and  which  gives 
again  the  same  result ;  and  he  has  confided  the  secret  to 
me." 

"A  secret  that  concerns  his  majesty  ?"  inquired  Char- 
lotte, eagerly. 

"  I  believe  so,"  replied  the  Florentine. 

"  Then  say  it,"  answered  the  Baroness  de  Sauve. 
"  What  is  it?" 

DUMAS — YOL.  III. — 10 


212  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  It  is,"  said  the  Florentine,  weighing  each  of  his  worda 
well ;  "  it  is  in  reference  to  the  reports  of  poisoning  which 
have  been  circulated  for  some  time  at  court." 

A  slight  expansion  of  the  nostrils  was  the  only  indica- 
tion which  the  King  of  Navarre  exhibited  of  his  increased 
attention  at  the  sudden  change  in  the  conversation. 

"  And  does  your  friend,  the  Florentine,"  inquired  the 
king,  "  know  anything  of  these  poisonings  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"  How  can  you  confide  to  me  a  secret  which  is  not  your 
own,  Rene  ;  and  particularly  when  the  secret  is  so  impor- 
tant ?"  inquired  Henry,  in  the  most  natural  tone  he  could 
assume. 

"  My  friend  has  some  advice  to  ask  of  your  majesty." 

"Of  me?" 

"What  is  there  astonishing  in  this,  sire  ?  When  my 
friend  confided  his  secret  to  me,  your  majesty  was  the 
first  chief  of  the  Calvinistic  party,  and  M.  de  Conde  the 
second." 

"  Well ! "  observed  Henry. 

"This  friend  hoped  you  would  use  your  all-powerful 
influence  with  the  Prince  de  Conde  to  entreat  him  not  to 
be  hostile  towards  him." 

"  Explain  yourself,  Ren6,  if  you  would  have  me  com- 
prehend you,"  replied  Henry,  without  manifesting  the 
least  alteration  in  his  features  or  voice. 

"  Sire,  your  majesty  will  comprehend  at  the  first  word  ; 
this  friend  knows  all  the  particulars  of  the  attempt  to 
poison  Monseigneur  the  Prince  de  Cond6." 

"What!  did  they  attempt  to  poison  the  Prince  de 
Cond6  ? "  exclaimed  Henry,  with  well-acted  surprise. 
"  Indeed  !  and  when  was  that  ?  " 

Rene  looked  steadfastly  at  the  king,  and  replied  in 
these  words  only  : 

"Eight  days  since,  your  majesty." 

"  Some  enemy  ?"  inquired  the  king. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Ren6  ;  "an  enemy  whom  your  majesty 
knows,  and  who  knows  your  majesty." 

"  Yes,  now  I  remember,"  said  Henry  j  "  I  must  have 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  213 

heard  talk  of  this,  but  I  forget  the  details,  which  your 
friend  would  disclose  to  me,  you  say." 

"Well,  a  scented  apple  was  offered  to  the  Prince  de 
Conde,  but  fortunately  his  physician  was  there  when  it 
was  brought  to  him  :  he  took  it  from  the  messenger,  and 
smelt  it.  Two  days  afterwards  a  gangrenous  humor 
formed  in  Iris-face  ;  then  an  extravasation  of  blood,  and 
then  a  cancerous  sore  which  ate  into  his  cheeks,  were  the 
price  of  his  devotion  or  the  result  of  his  imprudence." 

"Unfortunately,  being  already  half  a  Catholic,"  an- 
swered Henry,  "  I  have  lost  all  my  influence  over  M.  de 
Cond6,  and  therefore  your  friend  would  gain  nothing  by 
addressing  me." 

"  It  was  not  only  with  M.  de  Conde  that  your  majesty 
might,  by  your  influence,  be  useful  to  my  friend,  but 
with  the  Prince  de  Porcian,  brother  of  him  who  was 
poisoned." 

"  What !  "  observed  the  king,  "  do  you  also  know  the 
details  of  the  poisoning  of  the  Prince  de  Porcian  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "  They  knew  that  he  burnt 
every  night  a  lamp  near  his  bed  ;  they  poisoned  the  oil, 
and  he  was  stifled  with  the  odor." 

Henry  clenched  his  moistened  palms  together  with  rage. 

"Thus  then,"  he  replied,  "he  whom  you  term  your 
friend,  knows  not  only  the  details  of  this  poisoning,  but 
the  author  of  it  also  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  that  is  why  he  wished  to  ascertain  from  you, 
if  you  had  sufficient  influence  with  the  Prince  de  Porcian 
to  induce  him  to  pardon  the  murderer  of  his  brother  ?  " 

"Unfortunately,"  replied  Henry,  "  being  still  half  Hu- 
guenot I  have  no  influence  over  the  Prince  de  Porcian  ;  he 
was  wrong,  therefore,  to  address  me." 

"  But  what  do  you  think  of  the  inclinations  of  the 
Prince  de  Cond6  and  M.  de  Porcian  ?" 

"  How  can  I  tell  their  inclinations,  Rene  ?  God  luis 
not,  that  I  know,  given  me  the  privilege  of  reading 
hearts." 

"  Your  majesty  may  ask  yourself  the  question,"  said  the 
Florentine,  calmly  ;  "  has  there  not  been  in  your  majesty's 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS. 

life  some  event  so  gloomy,  that  it  may  serve  as  an  example 
of  clemency — so  painful,  that  it  may  be  a  touchstone  for 
generosity  ?  " 

These  words  were  pronounced  in  a  tone  that  made 
Charlotte  shudder.  The  allusion  was  so  direct,  so  mani- 
fest, that  the  young  lady  turned  aside  to  hide  her  flushed 
face,  and  avoid  Henry's  look. 

Henry  made  a  powerful  effort  over  himself,  smoothed 
his  brow,  which,  during  the  Florentine's  address,  had  been 
heavy  with  menace,  and  changing  the  deep  filial  grief 
which  weighed  upon  his  heart  into  an  air  of  vague  reflec- 
tion, said  : 

"  In  my  life — a  gloomy  event ! — no,  Rene — no  ;  I  only 
recollect  the  folly  and  recklessness  of  my  youth  mixed 
with  those  fatalities,  more  or  less  cruel,  which  are  in- 
flicted on  all  the  frailties  of  nature,  and  the  trials  of 
God/' 

Rene  mastered  himself,  in  his  turn,  and  turned  his 
glance  from  Henry  to  Charlotte,  as  if  to  excite  the  one  and 
restrain  the  other — for  Charlotte,  going  towards  her  toilet 
to  conceal  the  feeling  inspired  by  this  conversation,  again 
extended  her  hand  towards  the  box  of  salve. 

"  But  if,  sire,  you  were  the  brother  of  the  Prince  de 
Porcian,  or  the  brother  of  the  Prince  de  Cond6,  and 
your  brother  had  been  poisoned,  or  your  father  assas- 
sinated ?  " 

Charlotte  uttered  a  cry,  and  again  was  about  to  apply 
the  salve  to  her  lips.  Rene  saw  this,  but  neither  stopped 
her  by  word  nor  gesture  ;  he  only  said,  hastily  : 

"  In  the  name  of  heaven,  sire,  reply  !  Sire,  if  you  were 
in  their  place,  what  would  yon  do  ?  " 

Henry  collected  himself  ;  wiped,  with  tremulous  hand, 
his  forehead  bedewed  with  drops  of  cold  perspiration,  and 
elevating  his  figure  to  its  full  height,  replied  in  the  midst 
of  the  breathless  silence  of  Ren6  and  Charlotte  : 

"  If  I  were  in  their  place,  and  were  sure  of  being  king — 
that  is  to  say,  of  representing  God  on  earth — I  would  do 
like  God,  and  forgive  I" 

"  Madame,"  exclaimed  Rene,  snatching  the  salve  from 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  215 

Madame  de  Sauve's  hand  ;  "  madame,  give  me  that  box  ! 
I  see  my  assistant  made  a  mistake  in  bringing  it  to  you  ; 
to-morrow  I  will  send  you  another." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A   NEW  CONVEKT. 

ON  the  following  day  there  was  to  be  a  hunt  in  the  forest 
of  St.  Germain.  Henry  had  desired  that  there  should  be 
kept  ready,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  saddled  and 
bridled,  a  small  horse  of  the  Beam  breed,  which  he  in- 
tended as  a  present  for  Madame  de  Sauve,  but  which  he 
first  intended  to  try  himself.  The  horse  was  duly  brought ; 
and  as  the  clock  struck  eight,  Henry  descended. 

The  horse,  full  of  breed  and  fire,  in  spite  of  its  small 
size,  was  plunging  about  in  the  courtyard.  It  was  cold, 
and  a  slight  hoar  frost  covered  the  ground. 

Henry  was  about  to  cross  the  courtyard,  in  order  to  reach 
the  stables,  where  the  horse  and  his  groom  were  waiting, 
when  passing  before  a  Swiss  soldier,  who  was  on  guard  at 
the  door,  the  sentinel  presented  arms  to  him,  saying  : 

"  God  preserve  his  Majesty  the  King  of  Navarre  ! " 

At  this  wish,  and  particularly  the  accent  and  emphasis 
of  the  voice  that  uttered  it,  the  Bearnais  started,  and 
retreated  a  step,  muttering  the  words,  "  De  Mouy  ! " 

"  Yes,  sire,  De  Mouy." 

"  And  what  are  you  doing  here  ?" 

"  Seeking  you." 

"What  would  you  ?" 

"  I  must  speak  to  your  majesty  ! " 

"  Rash  man  !  "  said  the  king,  going  close  to  him,  "  do 
you  know  that  you  risk  your  head  ?  " 

"I  know  it,  and  I  am  here." 

Henry  turned  slightly  pale,  looked  around  him,  and 
retreated  a  second  time  no  less  quickly  than  before. 

He  saw  the  Due  d'Alengon  at  a  window. 


216  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Then,  changing  his  air,  Henry  took  the  musket  from  De 
Mouy,  and  appeared  to  be  examining  it. 

"  De  Mouy,"  he  said,  "  it  is  some  very  powerful  motive 
that  makes  you  come  thus  to  throw  yourself  into  the  wolf's 
throat." 

"  It  is,  sire,  and  for  eight  days  I  have  been  on  the  watch. 
It  was  only  yesterday  I  learned  that  your  majesty  meant  to 
try  this  horse  this  morning,  and  I  took  my  post,  accord- 
ingly, at  this  door  of  the  Louvre." 

"  Why  under  this  costume  ?  " 

"  The  captain  of  the  company  is  a  Protestant,  and  one 
of  my  friends." 

"  Take  your  musket,  and  continue  your  guard.  We  are 
watched.  As  I  return,  I  will  endeavor  to  say  a  word  to 
you  ;  but  if  I  do  not  speak  to  you,  do  not  stop  me. 
Adieu  ! " 

De  Mouy  resumed  his  measured  tread,  and  Henry 
advanced  towards  the  horse. 

"What  is  that  pretty  creature  ?"  inquired  the  Duke 
d'Aleii9on,  from  his  window. 

"A  horse  I  am  going  to  try  this  morning." 

"  But  it  is  not  a  man's  horse." 

"It  is  intended  for  a  pretty  woman." 

"Be  careful,  Henry,  or  you  will  be  indiscreet  ;  for  we 
shall  see  this  pretty  woman  at  the  chase,  and  if  I  do  not 
know  whose  chevalier  you  are,  I  shall  at  least  learn  whose 
esquire  you  may  be." 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu  !  you  will  not  know,"  said  Henry,  with 
his  wonted  laugh,  "for  this  pretty  woman  being  very 
unwell  this  morning,  she  cannot  ride  to-day."  And  he 
sprung  into  the  saddle. 

'"  Ah,  bah  ! "  said  D'Alen9on,  laughing  ;  (t  poor  Madame 
de  Sauve  ! " 

"  Fra^ois  !  Francois — 'tis  you  who  are  indiscreet." 

"And  what  ails  the  lovely  Charlotte  ?"  inquired  the 
duke. 

"  Why,"  answered  Henry,  "  I  hardly  know.  A  kind 
of  heaviness  in  the  head,  as  Dariole  informed  me — a  weak- 
ness in  all  her  limbs,  a  perfect  languor." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  217 

"  And  will  that  prevent  you  from  accompanying  us  ?  " 
inquired  D'AlenQon. 

"Why  should  it?"  was  Henry's  reply.  "You  know 
how  madly  I  love  a  hunt,  and  that  nothing  would  make 
me  miss  one." 

"  You  will  miss  this,  however,  Henry,"  replied  the 
duke,  as  he  turned  round,  and  after  having  spoken  an  in- 
stant with  some  one  whom  Henry  could  not  see,  "  for 
I  learn  from  his  majesty  that  the  chase  cannot  take 
place." 

"  Bah  !"  said  Henry,  with  the  most  disappointed  air  in 
the  world  ;  "  and  why  not  ?  " 

"  Very  important  letters  have  arrived  from  M.  de  N"evers, 
and  there  is  a  council  being  held  by  the  king,  the  queen- 
mother,  and  my  brother  the  Duke  d'Anjou." 

"Ah,  ah  !  "  said  Henry  to  himself,  "is  there  any  news 
from  Poland  ?  "  Then  he  added,  aloud  :  "  In  this  case  it 
is  useless  for  me  to  run  any  more  risk  on  this  slippery 
ground.  Au  revoir  !  brother."  And  pulling  his  horse  up 
short  by  de  Mouy,  "  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  call  one  of 
your  comrades  to  finish  your  guard.  Help  the  groom  to 
take  the  saddle  off  my  horse,  put  it  on  your  head,  and 
carry  it  to  the  goldsmith  of  the  royal  stable  ;  there  is  some 
embroidery  to  do  to  it,  which  he  had  not  time  to  finish. 
You  can  bring  me  back  his  answer." 

De  Mouy  hastily  obeyed,  for  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  had 
disappeared  from  his  window,  and  it  was  evident  he  had 
conceived  some  suspicion.  Scarcely,  indeed,  had  the 
Huguenot  chief  left  the  wicket  than  the  duke  appeared. 
A  real  Swiss  had  taken  De  Mouy's  place. 

D'Aler^on  looked  attentively  at  the  fresh  sentinel,  then, 
turning  to  Henry  : 

"  This  is  not  the  man  with  whom  you  were  conversing 
just  now,  is  it,  brother  ?  " 

"  The  other  was  a  young  fellow  of  my  house,  for  whom 
I  obtained  a  post  amongst  the  Swiss.  I  gave  him  a  com- 
mission which  he  has  gone  to  execute." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  Duke,  as  if  satisfied  with  the  answer  5 
*'  and  how  is  Marguerite  ?  " 


218  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  am  jnst  going  to  inquire,  brother." 

"  Haven't  you  seen  her  since  yesterday  ?  " 

"No.  I  went  last  night  at  eleven  o'clock  ;  but  Gil- 
lonne  told  me  she  was  much  fatigued  and  asleep." 

"  You  will  not  find  her  in  her  apartment.  She  has 
gone  out." 

"Yes,"  replied  Henry,  "most  likely.  She  was  going 
to  the  Convent  of  the  Annonciade." 

There  was  no  means  of  pushing  the  conversation  fur- 
ther, as  Henry  appeared  determined  only  to  reply. 

The  two  brothers-in-law  then  separated — the  Duke 
d'Alengon  to  go  and  hear  the  news,  as  he  said,  and  the 
King  of  Navarre  to  return  to  his  apartment. 

At  the  moment  the  two  brothers-in-law  separated,  some 
one  knocked  at  the  door  of  Henry's  sleeping  apartment. 
He  opened  the  door,  gave  admittance  to  De  Mouy,  and 
closed  the  door  after  him. 

"  Sire,"  said  De  Mony,  "  the  time  for  action  has  ar- 
rived. Fear  nothing,  sire — we  are  alone  ;  and  I  will  be 
quick,  for  time  is  very  precious.  Your  majesty  may  now, 
by  a  single  word,  restore  to  us  all  that  we  have  lost  for  our 
holy  religion  during  this  disastrous  year.  Let  us  be  ex- 
plicit, let  us  be  brief,  let  us  be  frank." 

"  I  listen,  my  gallant  De  Mouy,"  replied  the  king,  see- 
ing that  it  was  impossible  any  longer  to  avoid  an  explana- 
tion. 

"  Is  it  true  that  your  majesty  has  abjured  the  Protest- 
ant religion  ?  " 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Henry. 

"  Yes ;  but  is  it  an  abjuration  of  the  lips  or  of  the 
heart?" 

"  We  are  always  grateful  to  God  when  he  has  saved  our 
life,"  replied  Henry,  not  replying  directly  to  the  question  ; 
"  and  God  has  visibly  spared  me  in  a  most  cruel  strait  and 
danger. " 

.  "  But,  sire,"  continued  De  Mouy,  "  confess  that  your 
abjuration  is  not  a  matter  of  conviction  but  of  calculation. 
You  have  abjured  that  the  king  may  let  you  live,  and  not 
because  God  has  spared  your  life." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Whatever  may  be  the  cause  of  my  conversion,  De 
Mouy,"  answered  Henry,  "  I  am  not  the  less  a  Catholic." 

"Yes  ;  but  shall  you  always  continue  one  ?  Should  an 
occasion  present  itself,  would  you  not  relapse  ?  Well,  this 
occasion  presents  itself  at  this  moment :  Rochelle  is  insur- 
gent ;  Roussillon  and  Beam  only  await  the  signal  to  act, 
and  in  Ghiienne  all  is  ripe  for  revolt.  Only  avow  that  you 
were  a  Catholic  on  compulsion,  and  I  will  answer  for  all 
the  rest." 

"  My  dear  De  Mouy,  a  gentleman  of  my  birth  is  never 
forced  ;  what  I  have  done,  I  have  done  freely." 

"But,  sire,"  continued  the  young  man,  his  heart  op- 
pressed at  this  unexpected  resistance  ;  "you do  not  reflect 
that  in  thus  abandoning  us,  you  betray  us." 

Henry  remained  perfectly  unmoved. 

"  Yes,"  De  Mouy  continued  ;  "you  betray  us,  sire  ;  for 
very  many  of  us  have  come,  at  the  peril  of  our  lives,  to 
save  your  honor  and  liberty.  We  have  prepared  everything 
to  give  you  a  throne,  sire  ;  not  only  liberty,  but  power ;  a 
throne  for  your  acceptance  ;  for,  in  two  months,  you  may 
choose  between  France  and  Navarre." 

"  De  Mouy,"  replied  Henry,  looking  downwards  for  an 
instant  to  conceal  the  joy  that  sparkled  in  his  eyes  ;  "  De 
Mouy,  I  am  safe  ;  I  am  a  Catholic  ;  I  am  the  husband  of 
Marguerite  ;  I  am  the  brother  of  King  Charles  ;  I  am 
son-in-law  of  my  good  mother  Catherine ;  and  when,  De 
Mouy,  I  took  all  these  relations  upon  me,  I  not  only  cal- 
culated the  chances,  but  also  the  obligations." 

"  But,  sire,"  replied  De  Mouy,  "  what  am  I  to  believe  ? 
They  say  that  your  marriage  is  incomplete  ;  they  say  you 
are  free  in  your  own  heart ;  they  say  that  Catherine's 
hatred " 

"  Lies,  lies,  lies  all !  "  interrupted  the  B6arnais,  hast- 
ily ;  "  you  have  been  impudently  deceived,  my  friend. 
My  dearest  Marguerite  is  indeed  my  wife  ;  Catherine  is 
truly  my  mother  ;  the  King  Charles  IX.  is  really  the  lord 
and  master  of  my  life  and  of  my  heart." 

De  Mouy  started,  and  a  smile  almost  contemptuous 
passed  over  his  lips. 


220  MARGUEEITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Then,  sire,"  said  he,  endeavoring  by  his  look  to  fathom 
a  mind  so  full  of  concealment ;  "  this  is  the  answer  I  shall 
bear  to  my  brothers  in  arms.  I  shall  say  that  the  King  of 
Navarre  extends  his  hand  and  gives  his  heart  to  those  who 
cut  our  throats ;  I  shall  say  that  he  has  become  the  flat- 
terer of  the  queen- mother,  and  the  friend  of  Maurevel." 

"  My  dear  De  Mouy,"  was  Henry's  response,  "  the  king 
is  just  breaking  up  the  council ;  and  I  must  go  and  learn 
what  are  the  important  reasons  which  have  postponed  the 
hunt.  Adieu  !  imitate  me,  my  friend  :  renounce  politics, 
swear  allegiance  to  the  king  and  take  the  mass."  And 
Henry  led,  or  rather  pushed,  the  young  man  to  the  door  of 
his  antechamber,  whilst  De  Mouy's  amazement  was  fast 
giving  way  to  rage. 

Scarcely  was  the  door  closed,  than,  unable  to  resist  his 
desire  of  visiting  his  vengeance  on  something  for  want  of 
somebody,  De  Mouy  squeezed  his  hat  between  his  hands, 
threw  it  on  the  ground,  and  trampling  it  under  foot,  as  a 
bull  does  the  cloak  of  a  matador  : 

"  S'death  ! "  he  cried,  "he  is  a  cowardly  prince,  and  I 
have  a  great  mind  to  kill  myself  on  this  very  spot,  that  my 
blood  may  forever  stain  him  and  his  name." 

"  Hush  !  M.  de  Mouy,"  said  a  voice  which  come  from 
behind  a  half -opened  door  ;  "  hush  !  or  someone  else  will 
hear  you  besides  myself." 

De  Mouy  turned  round  suddenly,  and  perceived  the 
Duke  d'Alen9on  enveloped  in  his  mantle,  and  thrusting 
his  pale  face  into  the  corridor  to  ascertain  if  he  and  De 
Mony  were  really  alone. 

"  The  Duke  d'Alen9on  ! "  cried  De  Mouy  ;  "  then  I  am 
lost  ! » 

"On  the  contrary,"  said  the  prince,  in  a  subdued  tone, 
"  yon  have  perchance  found  that  which  you  have  been 
seeking ;  and,  in  proof  of  this,  I  would  not  have  you  kill 
yourself  here,  as  yon  propose.  Believe  me,  your  blood 
may  be  better  employed  than  in  reddening  the  threshold 
of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

And,  at  these  words,  the  duke  opened  wide  the  door  of 
the  chamber  which  had  been  hitherto  ajar. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  £21 

"  This  chamber  belongs  to  two  of  my  gentlemen,"  said 
the  duke  ;  "  and  no  one  will  come  to  seek  you  here.  So 
we  may  converse  at  our  ease.  Come  hither,  then,  sir." 

"  I  am  at  your  royal  highness'  service,"  said  the  amazed 
conspirator,  and  he  entered  the  chamber,  the  duke  closing 
the  door  after  him  quickly  and  securely. 

De  Mony  entered,  furious,  enraged,  and  desperate  ;  but 
gradually  the  cold  and  steady  gaze  of  the  young  Duke 
Fran9ois  had  the  effect  on  the  young  Huguenot  captain 
that  ice  has  upon  intoxication. 

"M.  de  Mouy,"  said  Francois,  "I  thought  I  recognized 
you  in  spite  of  your  disguise,  as  you  presented  arms  to  my 
brother  Henry.  What,  De  Mouy,  are  not  you  satisfied 
with  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur  ! " 

"  Come,  come  !  speak  frankly  to  me  ;  and  perhaps  you 
may  find  I  am  your  friend." 

"  You,  Monseigneur  ! " 

"Yes,  I ;  but  speak." 

"  I  know  not  what  to  say  to  your  highness  ;  what  I  had 
to  tell  the  King  of  Navarre  touched  on  interests  impossi- 
ble to  be  understood  by  you  ;  besides,"  added  De  Mouy, 
"  it  was  about  trifles  after  all." 

"  Trifles  !  "  exclaimed  the  duke. 

"  Yes,  monseigneur." 

"  Trifles  !  when  for  this  you  have  exposed  your  life  by 
returning  to  the  Louvre,  when  you  well  know  your  head 
is  worth  its  weight  in  gold  ?  For  it  is  well  known  that 
you,  like  the  King  of  Navarre  and  the  Prince  de  Conde, 
are  one  of  the  principal  leaders  of  the  Huguenots." 

"  If  you  think  so,  monseigneur,  act  towards  me  as  the 
brother  of  Charles  the  king,  and  the  son  of  Catherine,  the 
queen-mother,  should  act." 

"  Why  would  you  have  me  act  so,  when  I  tell  you  I  am 
your  friend  ?  Tell  me  but  the  truth,  and " 

"Monseigneur,  I  swear  to  yon " 

"  Do  not  swear,  sir ;  the  Kef ormed  religion  forbids 
oaths,  and  especially  false  oaths." 

De  Mouy  frowned. 


222  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  tell  you  I  know  all,"  continued  the  dnke. 

De  Mouy  was  still  silent. 

"  Do  you  doubt  it  ?  "  proceeded  the  prince,  with  earnest- 
ness. "  Well,  then,  my  dear  De  Mouy,  I  must  convince 
you,  and  you  will  see  if  I  speak  sooth  or  not.  Have  you, 
or  not,  proposed  to  my  brother-in-law,  Henry,  there,  just 
now,"  and  the  duke  extended  his  hand  towards  Henry's 
apartments  ;  "your  aid,  and  that  of  your  allies,  to  re-es- 
tablish him  in  his  kingdom  of  Navarre  ?  " 

De  Mouy  looked  at  the  duke  in  amazement. 

"  Propositions  which  he  refused  in  alarm " 

De  Mouy  remained  stupefied  with  surprise. 

"  Did  you  not,  then,  invoke  your  ancient  friendship — the 
remembrance  of  your  common  religion  ?  Did  you  not, 
then,  seek  to  lure  on  the  King  of  Navarre  by  a  very  brilliant 
hope  and  prospect — so  brilliant  that  he  was  dazzled  at  it — 
the  hope  of  attaining  even  the  crown  of  France  ?  Eh  !  am 
I,  or  not,  well  informed  ?  Was  it  not  this  you  came  to 
propose  to  the  Bearnais  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur,"  exclaimed  De  Mouy,  "  it  is  so  precisely 
all  that  occurred,  that  I  ask  myself  at  this  moment  wheth- 
er I  ought  not  to  say  to  your  highness  that  you  lie  !  pro- 
voke you  in  this  very  chamber  to  a  combat,  and  seek  in  the 
death  of  one  of  us  the  extinction  of  this  terrible  secret." 

"  Uently,  my  brave  De  Mouy,  gently/'  replied  D'Alen9on 
without  changing  countenance,  or  making  the  slightest 
motion  at  this  menace  ;  "  this  secret  will  be  better  kept  be- 
tween us  two,  if  we  both  live,  than  if  one  of  us  were  to  die. 
Listen  to  me,  and  do  not  thus  grip  the  handle  of  your 
sword  ;  for  the  third  time  I  tell  you,  you  are  with  a  friend  ; 
reply,  then  as  to  a  friend.  Tell  me,  did  not  the  King  of 
Navarre  refuse  your  offers  ?  " 

"  He  did,  my  lord,  and  I  confess  it  because  the  avowal 
can  compromise  no  one  but  myself." 

"  And  are  you  still  of  the  same  opinion  you  were  when 
you  quitted  my  brother  Henry's  chamber,  and  said  he  was 
a  cowardly  prince,  and  unworthy  any  longer  to  remain  your 
leader?" 

"  I  am,  monseigneur,  and  more  so  than  ever." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  223 

"  Well,  then,  M.  de  Mouy,  am  I,  the  third  son  of  Henry 
II. — I,  a  son  of  France — am  I  good  enough  to  command 
yonr  soldiers  ?  Let  us  see.  Do  you  think  me  so  loyal  that 
you  rely  on  my  word  ?  " 

"  You,  monseigneur  !  yon  the  chief  of  the  Huguenots  ?  " 

"  Why  not  ?  This  is  the  epoch  of  conversions,  as  you 
know,  and  if  Henry  has  become  a  Catholic,  why  may  not  I 
turn  Protestant  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably,  monseigneur  ;  but  perhaps  you  will 
explain  to  me " 

"  Nothing  more  simple  ;  I  will  unfold  to  you,  in  two 
words,  everybody's  politics.  My  brother  Charles  kills  the 
Huguenots,  that  he  may  reign  more  absolutely.  My 
brother  D'Anjou  lets  him  kill  them,  that  he  may  succeed 
my  brother  Charles,  and  as  you  know,  my  brother  Charles 
is  often  ill.  But  I — it  is  very  different  with  me,  who  will 
never  reign  over  France  ;  at  least,  I  have  two  elder  brothers 
before  me  ;  with  me,  whom  the  hatred  of  my  mother  and 
brothers,  more  even  than  the  law  of  nature,  alienates  from 
the  throne — with  me,  who  see  before  me  no  family  affec- 
tion, no  glory,  no  kingdom — with  me,  who  yet  have  a  heart 
as  noble  as  my  brothers  ;  and  therefore  I,  De  Mouy,  would 
fain  cut  myself  out  a  throne  with  my  sword  in  this  France 
which  they  are  staining  with  gore  !  And  this  is  what  I 
would  do,  De  Mouy — listen  :  I  would  be  King  of  Navarre, 
not  by  right  of  birth,  but  by  election  ;  and  observe  well, 
you  can  have  no  objection  to  make  me  so,  for  I  am  no 
usurper  ;  my  brother  refuses  your  offers,  and  buried  in  tor- 
por, declares  openly  that  this  kingdom  of  Navarre  is  but 
a  fiction.  With  Henry  of  Beam,  you  have  nothing  now  in 
common  ;  with  me  you  may  have  a  sword  and  a  name. 
Fran9ois  d'Alenc.on,  son  of  France,  can  protect  all  his  com- 
panions or  accomplices,  as  you  may  please  to  call  them. — 
Well,  then  !  what  say  you  to  this  offer,  M.  de  Mouy  ?" 

"  I  say  it  perfectly  bewilders  me,  monseigneur." 

"  De  Mouy,  De  Mouy,  we  shall  have  many  obstacles  to 
overcome  ;  do  not,  then,  show  yourself  so  scrupulous  and 
difficult  with  the  son  of  a  king,  and  the  brother  of  a  king, 
who  comes  to  you/' 


224  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Monsefgneur,  the  thing  should  be  done  at  once,  if  I 
were  the  only  person  to  decide  ;  but  we  have  a  council, 
and  how  brilliant  soever  may  be  the  offer,  perhaps  the 
leaders  will  not  accede  to  it  without  a  condition." 

"  This  is  another  consideration,  and  the  reply  is  that  of 
an  honest  heart  and  a  prudent  mind.  By  the  way  in  which 
I  have  acted,  De  Mouy,  you  must  see  that  I  am  frank  and 
honorable ;  treat  me,  then,  on  your  part,  like  a  man  you 
esteem,  and  not  a  prince  whom  you  would  flatter.  De 
Mouy,  have  I  any  chance  ?  " 

"  On  my  word,  monseigneur,  and  since  your  highness 
desires  to  have  my  opinion,  you  shall  have  every  chance, 
since  the  King  of  Navarre  refuses  the  offer  I  have  just 
made  him.  But  I  repeat  to  you,  monseigneur,  it  is  indis- 
pensable that  I  have  a  consultation  with  our  leaders." 

"  Of  course,  sir,"  was  D'Alengon's  reply;  "only  when 
shall  I  have  the  answer  ?  " 

De  Mouy  considered  the  prince  with  silent  attention, 
and  then  coming  to  a  resolution,  said  : 

"  Monseigneur,  give  me  your  hand  ;  it  is  necessary  that 
the  hand  of  a  son  of  France  should  touch  mine,  to  be  sure 
I  shall  not  be  betrayed." 

The  duke  not  only  extended  his  hand  to  De  Mony,  but 
seized  his,  and  clasped  it  in  his  own. 

"  Now,  monseigneur,  I  am  assured,"  said  the  young 
Huguenot ;  "  if  we  were  betrayed,  I  should  acquit  yon  of 
all  participation  ;  without  which,  monseigneur,  however 
little  you  were  concerned  in  such  treachery,  you  would 
be  dishonored." 

"  Why  do  you  say  that,  De  Mouy,  before  you  have  brought 
me  even  the  reply  of  your  chiefs  ?  " 

"  Because,  monseigneur,  when  you  desire  to  know  when 
the  answer  shall  be  given,  yon  ask  me  in  that  question, 
where  our  leaders  are  ;  and  if  I  replied,  *  This  evening/ 
you  would  know  that  the  chiefs  were  concealed  in  Paris." 

And  as  he  said  these  words,  with  a  gesture  of  distrust, 
De  Mouy  fixed  his  piercing  eye  on  the  face  of  the  false  and 
vacillating  young  prince. 

"  What,  you  have  still  your  doubts,  De  Mouy  ;  but  yet 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  225 

what  right  have  I  to  your  confidence  at  a  first  interview  ? 
You  will  know  me  better  by  and  by.  You  'say  this  eve- 
ning, then,  M.  de  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Yes,  monseigneur,  for  time  presses.  This  evening. 
But  where  ?  " 

"  Here,  in  the  Louvre  ;  in  this  apartment,  if  that  suits 
yon." 

"  This  apartment  is  occupied." 

"  By  two  of  my  gentlemen. " 

"  Monseigneur,  it  seems  to  me  imprudent  to  return  to 
the  Louvre/' 

"  Wherefore  ?  " 

"  Because  others  may  recognize  me  as  well  as  your  high- 
ness. Yet,  if  you  will  accord  me  a  safe  conduct,  I  will  re- 
turn to  the  Louvre." 

"  De  Mouy/'  replied  the  duke,  "my  safe  conduct, 
seized  on  your  person,  would  destroy  me,  and  would  not 
save  you  ;  I  cannot.  The  least  evidence  of  concert  between 
us,  before  my  mother  or  brothers,  would  cost  me  my  life. 
Make,  therefore,  another  trial  of  your  own  courage.  I 
will  guarantee  your  safety,  and  try  on  my  word  what  yon 
tried  without  my  brother's  word.  Come  to  the  Louvre 
this  evening," 

"  But  how  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  see  the  means  before  me — here." 

And  the  duke  saw  on  the  bed  La  Mole's  dress  spread  out 
— a  magnificent  cherry-colored  cloak,  embroidered  with 
gold,  a  hat  with  a  white  plume,  surrounded  by  a  string  of 
pearls,  with  gold  and  silver  between  them,  and  a  gray 
satin  doublet  worked  with  gold. 

"  Do  you  see  this  cloak,  feather,  and  doublet  ?  "  said 
the  duke.  "  They  belong  to  M.  de  la  Mole,  one  of  my 
gentlemen,  and  a  fop  of  the  first  water.  This  dress  creates 
quite  a  sensation  at  court,  and  M.  de  la  Mole  is  recognized 
a  hundred  yards  off  when  he  wears  it.  I  will  give  you  his 
tailor's  address,  and,  by  paying  him  double  the  value,  he 
will  bring  you  a  similar  suit  this  evening.  Kemember  the 
name — M.  de  la  Mole." 

The  duke  had  scarcely  done  speaking,  when  a  step  was 
IS 


226  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

heard  of  some  one  approaching,  and  a  key  was  turned  in 
the  lock  of  the  door. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  inquired  the  duke,  hastening  towards 
the  door,  which  he  secured  with  a  bolt. 

"Pardieu!"  replied  a  voice  from  without,  "that 
is  a  very  odd  question  ;  who  are  you  ?  It  is  rather  pleas- 
ant, i'  faith,  to  come  to  one's  own  room,  and  be  asked, 
Who's  there  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  'tis  you,  M.  de  la  Mole  ?" 

"  Of  course  it  is.     But  who  are  you  ?  " 

D'Alenqon  turned  round  suddenly,  and  said  to  De  Mouy, 
"  Do  you  know  M.  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  No,  monseigneur." 

"  Does  he  know  you  ?  " 

"I  should  say,  no." 

"  Then  all  will  go  well.  Just  appear  to  be  looking  out 
of  window." 

De  Mouy  obeyed,  and  the  duke  opening  the  door,  La 
Mole  entered  hastily,  but  when  he  saw  the  duke  he  re- 
treated, surprised,  and  saying  : 

"  Monseigneur  the  duke  !  Your  pardon — your  pardon, 
monseigneur  ! " 

"  It  needs  not,  sir  ;  I  wished  to  see  a  person,  and  made 
use  of  your  apartment." 

' '  Pray  do,  monseigneur.  But  allow  me  to  take  my  cloak 
and  hat,  for  I  lost  both  last  night  on  the  Quai  de  la  Gre've." 

"  Keally  !  You  must  have  had  an  encounter  with  some 
determined  robbers,  then  ?  " 

The  duke  handed  the  young  gentleman  the  desired 
articles,  and  La  Mole  retired  to  dress  himself  in  the  ante- 
chamber. On  his  return  in  a  few  moments  : 

"  Has  your  highness  heard  or  seen  anything  of  the 
Comte  de  Coconnas  ?  "  he  asked. 

"No,  M.  le  Comte  ;  and  yet  he  should  have  been  on 
duty  this  morning." 

"Then  they  have  murdered  him  !"  said  La  Mole  to  him- 
self,  as  he  made  his  obeisance  and  rushed  out  again. 

The  chrk§4istened  to  his  retreating  footsteps,  and  then 
opening  the  docH^  said  to  De  Mouy  : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  227 

"  Look  at  him,  and  try  to  imitate  his  easy  and  peculiar 
gesture." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  replied  De  Mouy  ;  "  unfortunately, 
I  am  not  a  fine  gentleman,  but  only  a  soldier." 

"  I  shall  expect  you  before  midnight,  here,  or  in  some 
unoccupied  apartment.  To-night  before  midnight." 

"  To-night  before  midnight  ! " 

"  Ah  !  apropos — De  Mouy,  swing  your  right  arm  as  you 
walk  :  it  is  a  peculiarity  of  M.  de  la  Mole." 


CHAPTEK  XXIV. 

THE   KITE   TIZOIST    AND    THE    RUE    CLOCHE-PEKClE. 

LA  MOLE  ran  out  of  the  Louvre,  and  went  in  search  of 
poor  Coconnas. 

First  he  went  to  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre-Sec,  to  Maitre  la 
Huriere ;  but  he  found  nothing  there  but  breakfast,  to 
which,  despite  his  inquietude,  he  did  ample  justice. 

His  appetite  appeased,  La  Mole  went  along  the  Seine. 
Arrived  at  the  Quai  de  la  Greve,  he  recognized  the  spot 
where  he  had  been  stopped  three  or  four  hours  before,  and 
found  on  the  field  of  battle  a  fragment  of  his  hat-plume. 
La  Mole  had  ten  feathers,  each  handsomer  than  the  other  ; 
he  stopped,  nevertheless,  to  pick  up  this,  or  rather  the 
only  fragment  that  remained  of  it,  and  was  looking  at  it 
with  a  piteous  air,  when  an  authoritative  voice  bade  him 
stand  aside.  La  Mole  looked  up,  and  perceived  a  litter, 
preceded  by  two  pages,  and  followed  by  a  squire.  La 
Mole  thought  he  recognized  the  litter,  and  stood  on  one 
side. 

He  was  not  mistaken. 

44  M,  de  la  Mole  ?  "  said  a  sweet  voice  from  the  litter, 
whilst  a  hand,  white  and  soft  as  satin,  put  aside  the  cur- 
tains. 

"  Yes,  'tis  I  myself,  madame,"  replied  La  Mole,  boAving. 


228  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,  with  a  plume  in  his  hand  ?  "  said  the 
lady.  "  Are  you  in  love,  then,  and  seek  here  lost  traces  of 
your  mistress  ?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,"  returned  La  Mole,  "  I  am  in  love,  and 
to  desperation.  As  for  these  relics,  they  are  my  own, 
though  not  those  I  seek.  But  permit  me  to  inquire  after 
your  majesty's  health." 

"  Excellent — never  better  ;  probably  from  the  circum- 
stance of  my  having  passed  the  night  in  a  convent." 

"  Ah,  in  a  convent  ! "  said  La  Mole,  looking  at  Marguerite 
with  a  singular  expression. 

"  Yes  ;  what  is  there  so  astonishing  in  that  ?" 

"  May  I  venture  to  inquire,  in  what  convent  ?" 

"  Certainly  ;  I  make  no  mystery  of  it  :  at  the  convent 
of  the  Annunciation.  But  what  are  you  doing  here,  with 
so  wild  an  air  ?" 

"  Madame,  I  am  looking  for  a  friend  ;  and  in  his  place 
I  find  this  plume." 

"  Which  belongs  to  him  ?  You  really  alarm  me  for 
him  ;  the  spot  has  an  ill  name." 

"  Your  majesty  may  be  reassured  ;  the  plume  is  mine  : 
I  lost  it  here  this  morning,  at  about  half-past  five,  in 
escaping  from  four  bandits  who  attacked  me." 

Marguerite  suppressed  an  exclamation  of  terror. 

"  Oh,  tell  me  all  about  it  ! " 

"  A  simple  matter,  madame.  It  was  as  I  said,  about 
half  past  five " 

"  And  at  half-past  five  you  were  already  out  ?  " 

"  Nay,  madame,  I  had  not  yet  gone  home." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Marguerite,  with  a  smile  that  to  every  one 
else  would  have  seemed  malicious,  but  which  La  Mole 
thought  adorable ;  "  returning  home  so  late  !  You  are 
rightly  served." 

"I  do  not  complain,  your  majesty,"  said  La  Mole  ; 
"  and  had  1  been  killed,  I  should  have  thought  myself 
far  happier  than  I  merit.  But  as  I  was  returning,  four 
scoundrels  rushed  on  me,  armed  with  long  knives,  and  I 
was  fain  to  fly,  for  T  had  left  my  sword  in  the  house  where 
I  had  passed  the  night." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  229 

"  Oh,  I  understand,"  said  Marguerite,  with  an  exquisite 
air  of  simplicity  ;  "you  are  going  to  fetch  your  sword." 

La  Mole  looked  at  Marguerite,  doubtingly  : 

"Madame,"  said  he,  "I  should  be  glad  to  return 
thither,  for  my  sword  is  an  excellent  blade  ;  but  I  do  not 
know  where  the  house  is." 

"  What !  "  said  Marguerite,  "  you  do  not  know  where 
the  house  is  ?  " 

"  No  ;  Satan  exterminate  me,  if  I  have  the  least  idea." 

"  How  very  strange  !    Quite  a  romance,  upon  my  word." 

t(  Quite  so,  madame." 

"  Eelate  it  to  me." 

"  It  is  somewhat  long." 

"  No  matter,  I  have  plenty  of  time." 

"  And  very  incredible." 

"  Go  on,  I  am  excessively  credulous." 

"  Your  majesty  commands  me  ?  " 

''Yes,  if  necessary." 

"  I  obey  :  last  night  we  supped  at  Maitre  la  Huriere's." 

"First  and  foremost,"  asked  Marguerite,  with  a  beauti- 
ful simplicity,  "  who  is  Maitre  la  Hurie're  ?  " 

"  Maitre  la  Huri^re,  madame,"  answered  La  Mole,  with 
another  look  of  doubt  at  the  Queen,  "is  the  landlord  of 
the  Belle  Etoile,  in  the  Eue  de  1'Arbre-Sec." 

"Ah,  I  understand  ;  well,  you  were  supping  at  La  Hu- 
riere's with  your  friend  Coconnas,  no  doubt  ?" 

"  Yes,  madame,  with  my  friend  Coconnas  ;  when  a 
man  entered,  and  gave  each  of  us  a  billet." 

"Alike  ?" 

"  Exactly." 

"  And  which  contained " 

"  But  one  line  : 

"  '  You  are  waited  for  in  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  oppo- 
site the  Rue  de  Jouy.'" 

11  And  no  signature  ?  " 

"  None,  but  three  words,  three  delicious  words  that 
promised  a  triple  happiness." 

"  And  what  were  these  three  words  ?  " 

'*  EEOS,  CUPIDO,  AMOR." 


230  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Three  soft,  pretty  names,  by  my  faith  ;  and  did  they 
fulfil  what  they  promised  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  madam e,"  cried  La  Mole,  with  enthusiasm, 
"a hundred-fold  !  " 

"  Continue.  I  am  anxious  to  know  what  awaited  yon  at 
the  Eue  Saint  Antoine." 

"  Two  duennas,  who  stipulated  that  our  eyes  should  be 
bandaged.  Your  majesty  may  imagine  we  made  no  great 
difficulty.  My  guide  led  me  to  the  right,  my  friend's  led 
him  to  the  left." 

"  And  then  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  I  do  not  know  where  they  took  my  friend  ;  perhaps 
to  the  infernal  regions/'  said  La  Mole  ;  "  but  I  was  taken 
to  Paradise. " 

"  And  whence  your  too  great  inquisitiveness  no  doubt 
got  you  expelled/' 

"  Exactly  so  :  your  majesty  has  the  gift  of  divination. 
I  waited  until  day  should  come  to  show  me  where  I  was, 
when  the  duenna  entered,  blindfolded  me  again,  and  led 
me  away,  out  of  the  house,  and  some  hundred  paces  on, 
and  then  made  me  promise  not  to  take  off  the  bandage  till 
I  had  counted  fifty.  I  counted  fifty,  and  then,  on  taking 
off  the  handkerchief  found  myself  in  the  Eue  St.  Antoine, 
opposite  the  Eue  de  Jouy.  On  returning  here,  just  now,  I 
perceived  a  fragment,  of  my  plume,  which  I  shall  preserve 
as  a  precious  relic  of  this  glorious  night.  But  amidst  my 
happiness,  one  thing  disquiets  me  :  what  can  have  become 
of  my  friend  ?  " 

"  He  is  not  at  the  Louvre,  then  ?  " 

"  Alas,  no  ;  and  I  have  sought  him  at  the  Belle  Etoile, 
at  the  tennis  court,  and  everywhere,  but  there  is  no  Anni- 
bal  to  be  found/' 

As  he  said  this,  and  accompanied  his  lamentation  by 
throwing  up  his  arms  La  Mole  disclosed  his  doublet, 
which  was  torn  and  cut  in  several  places. 

"  "Why,  you  have  been  completely  riddled  ! "  said  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  Eiddled — that  is  the  exact  word,"  said  La  Mole,  not 
sorry  to  make  the  most  of  the  danger  he  had  incurred. 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  231 

"  Why  did  you  not  change  your  doublet  at  the  Louvre, 
when  you  got  back  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  La  Mole,  "  because  there  was  some  one  in 
my  chamber." 

"  How,  some  one  in  your  chamber  ?  "  said  Marguerite, 
whose  eyes  expressed  the  greatest  astonishment.  "  Who  ?  " 

"  His  highness " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Marguerite. 

The  young  man  obeyed. 

"  Qui  ad  lecticam  meam  stant  ?" — ("  Who  are  with  the 
litter  ?  ") 

"Duo  pueri  et  unus  eques." — ("Two  pages  and  a 
groom  ?  ") 

"  Optim£  barbari,"  said  she.  "  Die,  Moles,  quern  inve- 
nerisin  cubiculo  tuo  ?" — ("  Good  ,  they  won't  understand 
us.  Tell  me,  La  Mole,  whom  did  you  find  in  your  cham- 
ber ?") 

"Franciscum  ducem." — ("  Duke  Francis.") 

"  Agentem."— ("  What  was  he  doing  ?") 

"  Nescio  quid."—  ("  I  don't  know.") 

"  Quo  cum  ?  "— ("  Who  was  with  him  ?  ") 

"  Cum  ignoto." — ("A  man  I  don't  know.") 

"  Singular,"  said  Marguerite.  "  So  you  have  not  found 
Coconnas  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  and  I  am  dying  with  anxiety." 

"  Well,"  said  Marguerite,  "  I  will  not  further  delay 
your  search  ;  but  I  have  an  idea  he  will  be  found  before 
long.  But  nevertheless,  go  and  look  for  him." 

And  the  queen  placed  her  finger  on  her  lip.  Now,  as 
Marguerite  had  not  communicated  any  secret  to  La  Mole, 
he  comprehended  that  this  charming  sign  must  have 
another  meaning. 

The  cortege  pursued  its  way  ;  and  La  Mole  proceeded 
along  the  quay,  till  he  came  to  the  Eue  du  Long- Pont, 
which  took  him  into  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine. 

He  stopped  opposite  the  Rue  de  Jouy. 

It  was  there,  the  previous  evening,  that  the  duennas  had 
blindfolded  Coconnas  and  himself  ;  he  well  remembered  he 
had  turned  to  the  right  and  counted  twenty  paces ;  he  did 


232  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

so  again,  and  fotmd  himself  opposite  a  house,  or  rather  a 
wall,  with  a  house  in  it :  in  the  middle  of  the  wall  was  a 
door  studded  with  large  nails. 

The  house  was  in  the  Rue  Cloche-Percee,  a  little  narrow 
street  that  commences  in  the  Eue  St.  Antoine,  and  ends 
in  the  Rue  du  Roi-de-Sicile. 

"  Sanglleu!  "  said  La  Mole.  "  This  is  it :  as  I  left  the 
house,  I  touched  the  nails,  and  as  I  descended  the  second 
step,  that  man  who  was  killed  in  the  Rue  du  Roi-de-Sicile, 
passed,  crying  for  help." 

La  Mole  knocked  at  the  door.  A  porter  with  a  vast 
mustache  opened  it. 

"  Was  est  dass  ?"  said  he.— ("  What's  that  ?  ") 

"  Ah, "  said  La  Mole  to  himself,  "we  are  German,  it 
seems.  My  friend,"  continued  he,  "I  want  my  sword, 
which  I  left  here  last  night." 

"  Ich  verstehe  nicht,"  said  the  porter. — ("I  don't  un- 
derstand you.") 

"  My  sword " 

"Ich  verstehe  nicht." 

" That  I  left " 

"  Ich  verstehe  nicht." 

" In  this  house,  where  I  passed  the  night. 

"Gehe  zum  Teufel."—  ("  Go  to  the  devil  !") 

And  he  shut  the  door  in  his  face. 

"  Mordieu  !  "  said  La  Mole,  "  had  I  my  sword,  I  would 
pass  it  through  your  body." 

La  Mole  then  struck  into  the  Rue  du  Roi-de-Sicile, 
turned  to  the  right,  counted  fifty  paces,  turned  to  the 
right  again,  and  found  himself  in  the  Rne  Tizon,  a  little 
street  parallel  with  the  Rue  Cloche-Percee,  and  exactly 
like  it.  Scarcely  had  he  taken  thirty  steps  when  he  found 
the  little  door  studded  with  nails,  the  narrow  loopholes, 
the  two  steps  and  the  wall. 

La  Mole  then  reflected  that  he  might  have  mistaken  his 
right  for  his  left,  and  he  knocked  at  this  door,  but  spite  of 
his  reiterated  attempts,  no  one  came.  He  walked  round 
the  same  way  several  times,  and  then  arrived  at  the  nat- 
ural conclusion,  that  the  house  had  two  entrances,  one  in 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  233 

the  Rue  Tizon,  the  other,  Rue  Cloche-Percee.  But  this 
logical  reasoning  did  not  give  him  back  his  sword,  or  his 
friend. 

He  had  for  an  instant  an  idea  of  purchasing  another 
rapier,  and  pinking  the  porter  ;  but  he  was  checked  by  the 
reflection,  that  if  he  belonged  to  Marguerite,  she,  doubt 
less,  had  her  reasons  for  selecting  him,  and  would  be  vexed 
were  she  deprived  of  him. 

Now  La  Mole  would  not  for  the  world  have  done  any- 
thing to  vex  Marguerite. 

To  avoid  the  temptation,  he  returned  to  the  Louvre. 

This  time  his  apartment  was  empty  ;  and  being  in  no 
small  haste  to  change  his  pourpoint,  which  was  somewhat 
dilapidated,  he  hastened  to  the  bed  to  take  down  his  fine 
gray  satin  doublet,  when,  to  his  intense  amazement,  he 
saw  hanging  beside  it  the  identical  sword  he  had  left  in  the 
Rue  Cloche-Percee.  He  took  it  and  examined  it  :  it  was 
indeed  the  same. 

"Ah,  ah  I"  said  he,  "there  is  some  magic  in  this." 
Then,  with  a  sigh :  "  Ah,  if  Coconnas  would  come  back 
like  this  sword  !  " 

Two  or  three  hours  afterwards,  the  door  in  the  Rue  Tizon 
opened.  It  was  five  o'clock,  and  consequently  dark. 

A  female  enveloped  in  a  long  furred  mantle,  accom- 
panied by  a  servant,  came  out  of  the  door,  glided  rapidly 
into  the  Rue  du  Roi-de-Sicile,  knocked  at  a  little  door  of 
the  Hotel  D'Argeuson,  entered  the  hotel,  left  it  again  by 
the  great  gate  that  opens  into  the  Vieille  Rue  du  Temple, 
reached  a  private  door  of  the  Hotel  de  Guise,  opened  it 
with  a  pass-key,  and  disappeared. 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  a  young  man,  his  eyes  ban- 
daged, came  out  of  the  same  door  of  the  same  house,  led  by 
an  old  woman,  who  took  him  to  the  corner  of  the  Rue 
Geoffroy-Lasnier  and  De  la  Mortellerie.  There  she  bade 
him  count  fifty  paces,  and  then  take  off  the  handker- 
chief. 

The  young  man  complied  scrupulously  with  these  di- 
rections, and  at  the  prescribed  number  took  off  the  ban- 


234 MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Mordi  "!  cried  he,  "  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  know  where  1 
am  !  Six  o'clock  !  Why,  where  can  La  Mole  be  ?  Ill 
run  to  the  Louvre  ;  I  shall  perhaps  hear  of  him  there." 

So  saying,  Coconnas  started  off,  and  arrived  at  the 
Louvre  in  less  time  than  a  horse  would  have  performed  the 
distance. 

He  questioned  the  Swiss  and  the  sentinel.  The  Swiss 
thought  he  had  seen  M.  de  la  Mole  go  out,  but  he  had  not 
seen  him  return.  The  sentinel  had  only  been  on  guard  an 
hour  and  a  half,  and  had  seen  nothing. 

Coconnas  ascended  the  stairs,  entered  La  Mole's  room, 
and  found  nothing  but  his  torn  doublet,  which  redoubled 
his  anxiety. 

He  then  betook  himself  to  La  Huriere's.  La  Huri&re 
had  seen  M.  la  Mole — M.  de  la  Mole  had  breakfasted  there. 

Reassured  by  these  tidings,  Coconnas  ordered  supper, 
which  occupied  him  until  eight  o'clock,  when,  recruited 
by  a  good  meal  and  two  bottles  of  wine,  he  again  started  in 
search  of  his  friend. 

For  an  hour  Coconnas  traversed  the  streets  near  the  Quai 
de  la  Rdve,  the  Rue  St.  Antoiue,  and  the  Rues  Tizon  and 
Cloche-Percee. 

At  last  he  returned  to  the  Louvre,  determined  to  watch 
under  the  gate  there  until  La  Mole's  return. 

He  was  not  a  hundred  paces  from  the  Louvre,  and  was 
assisting  a  female  to  rise,  whose  husband  he  had  upset  just 
before,  when,  by  the  light  of  a  large  lamp,  he  perceived 
the  cherry- velvet  mantle  and  white  plume  of  his  friend, 
which,  like  a  ghost,  disappeared  beneath  the  portal  of  the 
Louvre. 

The  cherry-colored  mantle  was  too  well  known  to  be  for 
an  instant  mistaken. 

"  Mordi  !  "  cried  Coconnas  ;  "  it  is  he  at  last  !  Eh,  La 
Mole  !  Why  does  he  not  answer  ?  Fortunately  my  legs 
are  as  good  as  my  voice." 

He  dashed  after  Cherry  Mantle,  but  only  in  time  to  see 
him,  as  he  entered  the  court,  disappear  in  the  vestibule. 

"  La  Mole  !"  cried  Coconnas  ;  "  stop  !  stop  !  why  are 
you  in  such  haste  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  235 

Cherry  Mantle  mourted  the  second  story  as  if  he  had 
wings. 

"  Ah,  you  are  angry  with  me.    Well,  I  can  go  no  further." 

Coconnas  ceased  the  pursuit,  but  followed  with  his  eyes 
the  fugitive,  who  now  arrived  at  the  apartments  of  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  :  suddenly,  a  female  appeared,  and  took 
Cherry  Mantle  by  the  hand. 

"  Oh/'  said  Coconnas,  "  that's  Queen  Marguerite  ;  now 
I  know  why  he  would  not  wait." 

After  a  few  whispered  words,  Cherry  Mantle  followed 
the  queen  into  her  apartments. 

"  Good  ! "  said  Coconnas.  "There  are  times  when 
your  best  friend  is  in  the  way :  this  is  one,  and  I'll  not 
interrupt  the  old  fellow." 

So  Coconnas  sat  down  on  a  bench  covered  with  velvet. 

"  I'll  stop  here  for  him — or  stay,  he's  with  the  queen,  and 
I  may  stop  long  enough.  It's  confounded  cold  here,  and 
I  may  just  as  well  wait  for  him  in  his  room ;  he  must 
come  there  at  last." 

At  this  moment  he  heard  a  quick  step  011  the  stairs 
above,  and  a  voice  singing  a  little  air  so  usual  in  La  Mole's 
mouth  that  Coconnas  looked  up.  It  was  La  Mole  himself, 
who  perceiving  the  Piedmontese,  ran  down  the  stairs  four 
at  a  time,  and  threw  himself  into  his  arms. 

"  Mordi  !  here  you  are  !  "  said  Coconnas.  "  Which 
way  did  you  come  out  ?  " 

"  Why,  by  the  Rue  Cloche- Percee." 

"  No.     I  don't  mean  there." 

"Whence  then  ?" 

"  From  the  queen." 

"  From  the  qneen  !  " 

"  Aye,  from  the  queen." 

"  I  have  not  been  with  her." 

"  Come  !  come  !  " 

"  My  dear  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I've  this  instant 
left  my  room,  where  I've  been  awaiting  for  you  these  two 
hours." 

"  You've  just  left  your  room  ?" 

"Yes." 

DUMAS— VOL.  III. — 11 


236  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  It  was  not  you  I  ran  after  from  the  Place  du  Louvre  ?  " 

"When  ?" 

"  Just  now." 

"  No." 

"  It  wasn't  you  that  disappeared  under  the  gateway  ten 
minutes  ago  ?  " 

"No." 

"It  wasn't  you  that  dashed  up  the  stars  as  if  the  devil 
was  after  you  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Mordi  !  "  replied  Coconnas.  "  The  wine  of  la  Belle 
Etoile  has  not  turned  my  head  to  that  extent.  I  tell  you, 
I  saw  your  mantle  and  white  plume  enter  the  Louvre  ;  that 
I  followed  the  one  and  the  other  to  the  bottom  of  this 
staircase,  and  then  saw  the  said  mantle  and  plume  led  by 
a  lady  into  that  room,  which  I  believe  is  Madame  Mar- 
guerite's." 

"  Mordieu ! "  exclaimed  La  Mole,  turning  very  pale. 
"  Can  there  be  treachery  already  !  " 

"  Ah,  swear  as  much  as  you  like,"  returned  Coconnas, 
"but  don't  tell  me  I  was  mistaken." 

La  Mole  hesitated  an  instant,  and  then,  carried  away 
by  his  jealousy,  rushed  to  the  queen's  door,  and  knocked 
furiously. 

"  You'll  get  us  both  arrested,"  said  Coconnas,  "  Mordi  f 
do  you  think  there  are  ghosts  at  the  Louvre,  La  Mole  ?  " 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  the  young  man;  "but  I've 
always  wanted  to  see  one,  and  would  fain  find  myself  face 
to  face  with  this  ghost,  if  ghost  he  be." 

"Very  good,"  said  Coconnas;  "but  don't  knock  so 
loud,  or  you'll  alarm  the  lady." 

Enraged  as  La  Mole  was,  he  yet  saw  the  justice  of  this 
observation  ;  and  though  he  continued  to  knock  knocked 
less  violently. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI&  237 

CHAPTEE  XXV. 

CHEERY    MANTLE. 

was  not  deceived.  The  lady  who  had  stopped 
the  cavalier  in  the  cherry  mantle,  was  indeed  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  ;  the  cavalier  in  the  cherry  mantle  was,  as  our 
readers  have  doubtlessly  guessed,  no  other  than  De  Mouy. 

On  recognizing  the  Queen  of  Navarre,  the  young  man 
saw  there  was  some  mistake,  but  he  feared  to  say  anything, 
lest  a  cry  from  the  queen  should  betray  him.  He  therefore 
suffered  himself  to  be  led  into  the  apartment,  resolved, 
once  there,  to  say  to  his  fair  guide,  "  Silence  for  silence, 
madame." 

Marguerite  had  gently  pressed  the  arm  of  him  whom,  in 
the  darkness,  she  mistook  for  La  Mole,  and  whispered  in 
his  ear,  in  Latin  : 

"  I  am  alone  ;  come  in,  dearest." 

De  Mouy  entered  in  silence  ;  but  scarcely  was  he  in  the 
antechamber,  and  the  door  closed,  than  Marguerite  per- 
ceived that  it  was  not  La  Mole,  and  she  then  uttered  that 
very  cry  which  the  prudent  Huguenot  had  dreaded. 

"  M.  de  Mony  !  "  cried  she. 

"  Myself,  madame/'  returned  the  young  man  ;  "and  I 
entreat  your  majesty  to  suffer  me  to  proceed,  without  in- 
forming any  one  of  my  presence  at  the  Louvre." 

"  Oh,  M.  de  Mouy,"  said  the  queen,  "  I  was  mistaken, 
then." 

"  Yes,  so  I  comprehend,"  returned  De  Mouy;  "your 
majesty  mistook  me  for  the  King  of  Navarre.  My  dress 
is  the  same  as  his,  and  my  height  and  figure,  I  have  been 
told,  are  not  unlike  his." 

Marguerite  looked  fixedly  at  him. 

"  Do  yon  know  Latin  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  I  did  once,  but  I  have  forgotten  it,w  replied  the  young 
man. 


238  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  You  may  rely  upon  my  discretion,  M.  de  Mouy  ;  and 
as  I  think  I  know  the  person  you  seek,  I  will,  if  you  so 
please,  conduct  you  to  him." 

"  Madame/'  replied  De  Mony,  "  I  see  that  you  are  mis- 
taken, and  that  you  are  completely  ignorant  who  the  per- 
son is  that  I  wish  to  see." 

"  What  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  "  is  it  not  the  King  of 
Navarre  you  seek  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame,  it  is  with  regret  I  have  to  beseech  you 
to  conceal  my  presence  in  the  Louvre  from  the  king  your 
husband." 

"  M.  de  Mouy,"  said  Marguerite,  "I  have  always  con- 
sidered you  one  of  the  steadiest  partisans  of  my  husband, 
one  of  the  most  zealous  Huguenot  leaders.  Am  I,  then, 
mistaken  ?  " 

"  No,  madame,  for  I  was,  up  to  this  morning,  all  that 
you  say." 

' '  And  why  have  you  changed  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  returned  De  Mouy,  "  I  entreat  you  to  ex- 
cuse my  replying,  and  to  receive  my  adieu." 

And  De  Mouy  firmly,  but  respectfully,  proceeded  to- 
wards the  door. 

Marguerite  stopped  him. 

*'  Yet,  sir,'"  said  she,  "  I  would  fain  request  an  explana- 
tion." 

"  Madame,"  returned  De  Mouy,  "  my  duty  bids  me  be 
silent ;  I  need  hardly  say,  that  duty  is  an  imperious  one 
which  prevents  my  obeying  your  majesty." 

"  Yet,  sir " 

"Your  majesty  can  ruin  me,  but  you  cannot  require  me 
to  betray  my  new  friends." 

"  Have  your  old  friends  no  claims  on  you  ?  " 

"  Those  who  have  remained  faithful,  yes ;  those  who 
not  only  have  abandoned  us,  but  themselves  also,  no." 

Marguerite,  greatly  uneasy,  was  about  to  pursue  her 
interrogatories,  when  Gillonne  rushed  in- 

"  The  King  of  Navarre,  madame  1 " 

"  Which  way  is  he  coming  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  239 

"By  the  secret  passage/' 

"  Then  let  this  gentleman  out  by  the  other  door." 

" Impossible,  madame,  someone  is  knocking  there/' 

< '  Who  is  it  ?  " 

"  I  da  not  know." 

"  Go  and  see." 

"  Madame,"  said  De  Mouy,  "permit  me  to  observe,  that 
I  am  lost  if  the  King  of  Navarre  sees  me  in  the  Louvre  at 
this  hour  and  in  this  costume." 

Marguerite  seized  his  hand,  and  leading  him  to  the 
famous  cabinet : 

"Enter  there,"  said  she  ;  "you  are  as  safe  as  in  your 
own  house,  for  you  are  under  my  protection." 

De  Mouy  sprang  in,  and  hardly  had  he  done  so,  when 
Henry  appeared. 

He  entered  with  that  cautious  observation  that  made 
him,  even  when  in  the  least  danger,  remark  the  most 
trifling  circumstances.  He  instantly  perceived  the  cloud 
on  Marguerite's  brow. 

"  You  were  musing,  madame,"  said  he. 

"Yes,  sire,  I  was." 

"You  are  right,  madame,  thoughtfulness  becomes  you. 
I,  too,  was  musing,  and  come  to  communicate  my  thoughts 
to  you." 

Marguerite  inclined  her  head  in  token  of  welcome,  and 
pointing  to  a  seat,  placed  herself  in  an  ebony  chair  beauti- 
fully carved. 

There  was  an  instant's  pause  :  Henry  first  broke  the 
silence. 

"  I  remembered,  madame,"  said  he,  "  that  my  dreams 
as  to  the  future  had  this  in  common  with  yours,  that, 
though  separated  as  husband  and  wife,  we  yet  wished  to 
unite  our  fortunes." 

"It  is  true,  sire." 

"  I  also  conjecture  that  in  all  my  plans  for  our  common 
elevation,  I  should  find  in  you  not  only  a  faithful  but  an 
active  ally." 

"  Yes,  sire,  and  I  only  ask  to  have  an  early  opportunity 
of  proving  it  to  you." 


240  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  find  you  so  well  disposed  ;  and  I  be- 
lieve you  have  not  for  an  instant  doubted  that  I  have  lost 
sight  of  those  plans  I  resolved  upon  the  day  that,  thanks 
to  your  courage,  my  life  was  saved. " 

"  Sire,  I  see  that  your  indifference  is  merely  a  mask, 
and  I  have  confidence  not  only  in  the  predictions  of  astrol- 
ogers, but  also  in  your  genius." 

"  What  should  you  say,  then,  were  some  one  to  come  in 
in  and  thwart  our  plans,  and  threaten  to  destroy  our 
hopes  ?  " 

"  I  would  reply,  that  I  am  ready  to  strive  with  you, 
openly  or  in  secret,  against  him,  be  who  he  may." 

"  Madame,"  returned  Henry,  "  you  have  the  right  of 
entering  the  Duke  d'Alen9on's  apartments  at  all  times. 
Might  I  request  of  you  to  go  and  see  if  he  be  not  in  con- 
ference with  some  one." 

"  With  whom  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  With  De  Mouy." 

"  Why  ?"  replied  Marguerite. 

"  Because  if  it  be  so,  adieu  all  our  plans." 

"  Speak  lower,  sire,"  said  Marguerite,  pointing  to  the 
cabinet. 

"  Some  one  there  again,"  said  Henry.  "  By  my  faith, 
that  cabinet  is  so  often  occupied,  that  it  renders  your 
apartments  quite  uninhabitable." 

Marguerite  smiled. 

"  At  all  events,  I  hope  it  is  M.  de  la  Mole,  still  ?  "  said 
Henry. 

"  No,  sire  ;  it  is  M.  de  Mouy." 

"  De  Mouy  !  "  cried  Henry,  joyfully.  "  He  is  not, 
then,  with  the  Duke  d'Alengon.  Oh,  let  me  speak  to 
him." 

Marguerite  ran  to  the  cabinet,  and  without  further  cere- 
mony presented  De  Mouy  to  the  king. 

"  Ah,  madame,"  said  the  young  Huguenot,  reproach- 
fully, "you  have  not  kept  your  promise.  Suppose  I  were 
to  revenge  myself  by  saying " 

"You  will  not  avenge  yourself,  my  dear  Mouy,"  said 
Henry,  pressing  his  hand  ;  "  at  least,  not  before  you  have 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  243 

"  It  is  true,"  said  De  Moiiy. 

"1  was  sure/'  replied  the  king,  "that  D'Alen9on  had 
got  hold  of  you." 

"  It  is  your  fault,  sire.  Why  did  you  refuse  so  ob- 
stinately what  I  offered." 

"  Ah,  you  refused  ! "  said  Marguerite.  "  My  presenti- 
ments, then,  were  real." 

"  Madame,"  said  Henry,  "  and  you,  my  worthy  De 
Mouy,  you  make  me  smile.  What !  a  man  comes  to  me, 
and  talks  to  me  of  thrones  and  revolutions,  and  overthrow- 
ing states — to  me,  Henry,  a  prince  tolerated  only  because  I 
humble  myself  ;  a  Huguenot,  spared  only  because  I  pretend 
to  be  a  Catholic  ;  and  thinks  I  am  going  to  accept  his 
propositions,  made  in  a  chamber  without  double  panels, 
and  not  lined  with  mattresses.  You  are  children,  or 
mad  ! " 

"  But,  sire,  your  majesty  might  have  given  me  some  sign, 
to  raise  our  hopes." 

"What  did  my  brother-in-law  say  to  you,  De  Mouy  ?" 
asked  Henry. 

"  Oh,  sire,  that  is  not  my  secret." 

"  Oh,  mon  Dieu!  "  said  Henry,  impatient  at  having  to 
deal  with  a  man  who  did  not  understand  him.  "  I  do  not 
ask  you  what  proposals  he  made  you.  I  only  asked  you  if 
he  had  listened,  and  if  he  had  overheard  ?  " 

"He  had  listened,  sire,  and  he  had  overheard." 

"  He  listened  and  overheard  ! — you  admit  that  yourself. 
Poor  conspirator  that  you  are  !  Had  I  spoken  a  word,  you 
had  been  undone ;  for,  if  I  did  not  absolutely  know  he 
was  there,  I  suspected  as  much  ;  and  if  not  he,  some  one 
else — D'Anjou,  the  king,  or  the  queen-mother.  The  walls 
of  the  Louvre  have  good  ears  ;  and,  knowing  that,  do  you 
think  I  should  speak  ?  I  wonder  you  offer  a  crown  to  the 
King  of  Navarre,  when  you  give  him  credit  for  so  little 
good  sense." 

" But,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "'had  you  made  me  a  sign, 
I  should  not  have  lost  all  hope." 

"  Eh,  ventre-saint-gris  I  "  cried  Henry.  "  If  he  listened., 
could  he  not  see  also  ?  At  this  very  instant  I  dread  lest 


244  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

we  may  be  overheard,  when  I  say  to  you,  De  Mouy,  repeat 
to  me  your  proposals/' 

"Sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  mournfully,  "  I  am  now  engaged 
with  M.  d'Alen9on." 

Marguerite  beat  her  fair  hands  together  violently. 

"  It  is,  then,  too  late/'  said  she. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  Henry,  "  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence is  visible  in  this  ;  for  the  duke  will  save  us  all  ;  he 
will  be  a  buckler  protecting  us  ;  whereas  the  name  of  the 
King  of  Navarre  would  involve  you  all,  by  degrees,  in 
destruction.  Get  fast  hold  of  him  ;  secure  proofs ;  but, 
silly  politician  that  you  are,  you  have  doubtless  engaged 
yourself  already,  without  using  any  precautions." 

"  Sire,"  cried  De  Mouy,  "  despair  made  me  join  his 
party,  and  fear  also,  for  he  held  our  secret." 

"  Then  hold  his  in  your  turn.  What  does  he  want  ? — 
the  kingdom  of  Navarre  ?  Promise  it  him.  To  quit  the 
court  ?  Supply  him  with  the  means.  When  the  time  comes 
for  us  to  fly,  he  and  I  will  fly  together  :  when  it  is  time  to 
reign,  I  will  reign  alone." 

"  Distrust  the  duke,"  said  Marguerite ;  "  he  is  alike 
incapable  of  hatred  and  friendship  ;  ever  ready  to  treat  his 
enemies  as  friends,  and  his  friends  as  enemies." 

"He  awaits  you?"  said  Henry,  without  heeding  his 
wife's  remark. 

"Yes,  sire." 

"At  what  hour  ?" 

"Until  midnight." 

"  It  is  not  yet  eleven,"  said  Henry  ;  "  you  are  not  too 
late,  De  Mouy." 

"  We  have  your  word,  sir,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  Henry,  with  that  air  of  confidence 
he  so  well  knew  how  to  show  to  certain  persons  and  on 
certain  occasions  ;  "with  M.  de  Mouy  this  is  needless." 

"  You  do  me  justice,  sire,"  returned  the  young  man. 
"  But  I  must  have  your  word  that  I  may  tell  our  leaders 
that  I  have  received  it.  You  are  not,  then,  a  Catholic  P" 

Henry  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  You  do  not  renounce  the  kingdom  of  Navarre  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  245 

"  I  do  not  renounce  any  kingdom,  only  I  would  select 
that  which  suits  you  and  me  the  best." 

"  And,  in  the  meantime,  were  your  majesty  to  be  ar- 
rested, and  they  should  dare  so  to  violate  the  regal  dignity 
as  to  torture  you,  will  you  swear  to  reveal  nothing  ?" 

'  De  Mouy,  I  swear  it." 

"  One  word,  sire.     How  shall  I  see  you  ?" 

"  From  to-morrow  yon  will  have  a  key  of  my  chamber, 
and  you  can  come  in  when  you  will.  The  duke  must  ex- 
plain your  presence  at  the  Louvre.  I  will  now  guide  you 
up  the  private  staircase  ;  meantime,  the  queen  will  bring 
in  here  the  other  cherry  mantle,  who  was  just  now  in  the 
antechamber.  It  must  not  be  supposed  you  are  double  ; 
eh,  De  Mouy  ?  eh,  madame  ?" 

Henry  laughed  as  he  said  this,  and  looked  at  Margue- 
rite. 

"  Yes/'  replied  she,  without  any  emotion  ;  "  for  you 
know  this  M.  de  la  Mole  is  one  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Duke  D'Alenqon." 

"  Try  and  get  him  to  our  side,  then,"  said  Henry,  with 
entire  gravity  :  "  spare  neither  gold  nor  promises  ;  I  place 
all  my  treasures  at  his  disposal." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Margnerite,  with  one  of  those  smiles 
that  belong  only  to  Boccaccio's  heroines,  "since  such  is 
your  desire,  I  will  do  my  best  to  promote  it." 

"  Very  good,  madame  ;  and  now  to  the  duke,  De  Mouy, 
and  hook  him." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MARGUERITE. 

DURING  this  conversation,  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  re- 
mained on  guard  ;  the  former  marvelously  vexed,  and  Co- 
connas somewhat  uneasy,  for  La  Mole  had  had  time  for 
reflection,  and  Coconnas  had  most  liberally  assisted  him 
in  it. 

•"'  What  do  you  think  of  all  this  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 


246  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"I  think,"  replied  the  Piedmontese,  "that  it  is  some 
intrigue  of  the  court." 

"  And  are  you  disposed  to  play  a  part  in  it  ?  " 

"  My  dear  fellow  !  "  returned  Coconnas,  "  listen  to  what 
I  shall  say,  and  give  heed  thereunto.  In  all  these  royal 
maneuverings  we  are,  and  should  be,  but  shadows  :  where 
the  King  of  Navarre  would  only  lose  the  end  of  his  feather, 
or  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  the  skirt  of  his  cloak,  you  and  I 
should  lose  our  lives.  Go  crazy  in  love,  if  you  please,  but 
do  not  meddle  in  politics." 

"But  I  love  the  queen,  Annibal ;  I  love  her  with  all  my 
soul ;  'tis  folly,  -I  admit ;  but  you,  Coconnas,  who  are 
prudent,  must  not  suffer  by  my  folly.  Seek  our  master, 
and  do  not  compromise  yourself." 

Coconnas  reflected  an  instant,  then,  shaking  his  head  : 

"My  dear  fellow!"  said  he,  "what  you  say  is  very 
just  ;  you  are  in  love,  and  you  act  like  a  lover  ;  I  am  am- 
bitious, and  think  life  worth  more  than  the  smile  of  a  wo- 
man. When  I  risk  my  life,  I  will  make  my  own  terms, 
and  do  you,  on  your  part,  do  the  same." 

So  saying, Coconnas  pressed  La  Mole's  hand,  and  left  him. 

About  ten  minutes  after,  the  door  opened  cautiously, 
and  Marguerite  appeared.  Without  speaking  a  word,  she 
led  La  Mole  into  her  apartment,  closing  the  doors  with  a 
care  that  showed  the  importance  of  the  conversation  she 
was  about  to  open. 

Arrived  in  her  chamber,  she  sat  down  in  her  ebony  chair, 
and  taking  La  Mole's  hands  in  hers  : 

"Now  that  we  are  alone,  my  friend,"  said  she,  "we 
will  talk  seriously." 

"Seriously,  madame  ?"  said  La  Mole. 

"  Or  confidentially,  if  you  like  the  word  better.  There 
may  be  serious  things  in  confidential  conversations,  es- 
pecially in  those  of  a  queen." 

"  Let  us  speak  seriously,  then  ;  but  on  condition  that 
your  majesty  be  not  offended  with  what  I  shall  say." 

"I  shall  only  be  offended  at  one  thing,  La  Mole,  and 
that  is,  if  you  call  me  '  madame '  or  *  your  majesty  ; '  for 
you,  I  am  only  Marguerite." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  247 

"  Yes,  Marguerite !  yes,  Marguerite ! "  cried  the 
young  man,  gazing  passionately  at  the  queen. 

"  That  is  well,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  and  so  you  are  jeal 
ous,  my  fair  sir  ?  " 

«  Oh,  madly  ! " 

«  Ah  !  and  of  whom  ?  " 

"  Of  every  one." 

"  But  of  whom  in  particular  ?" 

"  First,  of  the  king." 

"  I  thought,  after  what  you  had  seen  and  heard,  you 
were  easy  on  that  score." 

"  Of  this  M.  de  Mouy,  whom  I  saw  this  morning  for  the 
first  time,  and  whom  I  find  this  evening  on  such  intimate 
terms  with  you." 

"  And  what  makes  you  jealous  of  De  Mony  ?  " 

"  I  recognized  him  by  his  air,  his  figure  ;  by  a  natural 
feeling  of  hate  :  it  is  he  who  was  with  M.  d'Alen9ou  this 
morning." 

"  Well,  what  has  he  to  do  with  me  ?  " 

"  That  I  know  not.  But  in  default  of  any  other  return, 
a  love  like  mine  is  entitled  to  frankness  on  your  part. 
See,  madame,  at  your  feet  I  implore  you  !  If  what  you 
have  felt  for  me  is  but  a  temporary  inclination,  I  give  you 
back  your  faith  and  your  promises  ;  I  will  resign  my  post 
to  M.  d'Alen9on,  and  go  and  seek  death  at  the  siege  of 
Rochelle,  if  love  does  not  kill  me  before  I  arrive  there  ! " 

Marguerite  listened  with  a  smile  to  these  tender  re- 
proaches, then,  leaning  her  head  on  his  burning  hand : 

"  You  love  me  ?"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  yes,  madame,  more  than  life  !  But  you  do  not 
love  me." 

"  Silly  fellow  !"  murmured  she  ;  "and  so  the  sole  in- 
terest of  life  with  you  is  your  love  ?" 

"It  is,  indeed,  madame." 

"  You  love  me,  then,  and  would  fain  remain  with  me  ?" 

"  My  only  prayer  is,  that  I  may  never  part  from  yon." 

"  Were  1  to  tell  you  I  love  you,  should  you  be  wholly 
devoted  to  me  ?  " 

"  Am  I  not  so  already  ?  " 


248  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Yes  ;  but  you  still  doubt." 

"  Oh,  I  am  an  ingrate,  or  rather,  I  am  mad  ;  but  tell 
me,  why  was  M.  de  Mouy  this  morning  with  the  Duke 
d'Alen9on  ?  why  here  to-night  ?  what  meant  the  white 
plume,  the  cherry-colored  mantle,  the  imitating  my  walk 
and  manner  ?  " 

"  Can  you  not  guess  !  The  Duke  d'Alenc.on  would  kill 
you  with  his  own  hand,  did  he  know  you  were  here  at  my 
feet ;  and  that,  instead  of  ordering  you  to  quit  my  pres- 
ence, I  said  to  you  then  as  I  now  say,  stay  where  you  are, 
for  I  love  you." 

"All  gratitude  to  you  for  the  word,"  murmured  La  Mole. 

"  Listen/'  continued  the  queen;  "it  was  not  for  me 
that  M.  de  Mouy  came  here  in  your  hat  and  cloak  ;  it  was 
for  M.  d'Alen9on  ;  but  I  mistook  him  for  you  ;  I  spoke  to 
him,  thinking  it  was  you  ;  I  led  him  hither,  thinking  it 
was  you.  He  possesses  our  secret,  La  Mole,  and  must  be 
managed  cautiously." 

"  I  had  rather  kill  him,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  'tis  the  short- 
est and  safest  way." 

"And  I,"  said  the  queen,  "had  rather  he  should  live, 
and  that  you  should  know  all.  Now  answer  me  truly,  La 
Mole  ;  do  you  love  me  enough  to  rejoice  if  I  were  to  be- 
come really  queen  ?  " 

"  Alas,  madame,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  love  you  enough  to 
desire  whatever  you  desire,  though  it  involved  myself  in 
utter  misery  ! " 

"  Will  you,  then,  aid  me  to  realize  this  object  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  shall  lose  you  ! "  cried  La  Mole,  burying  his  face 
in  his  hands. 

"  No ;  only,  instead  of  being  the  first  of  my  servants, 
you  will  become  the  first  of  my  subjects." 

"  Oh,  speak  not  of  interest,  of  ambition  !  Do  not  dis- 
honor the  sentiment  I  have  for  you  ! — my  devotion,  my 
ardent,  my  unmixed  devotion  !  " 

"  Noble  nature  !  "  said  the  queen  ;  "  I  will  accept  your 
devotion,  and,  be  assured,  will  repay  it." 

And  she  held  out  her  hands,  which  La  Mole  pressed  in 
his  own. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  249 

«  Well  ! "  said  she. 

"  Weil,  yes,"  replied  La  Mole  ;  "  I  now  begin  to  under- 
stand the  project  spoken  of  by  the  Huguenots  before  the 
Bartholomew  ;  the  project,  to  aid  in  which,  I,  with  so 
many  others,  came  to  Paris.  DeMouy  conspires  with  you  ; 
but  what  has  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  to  do  with  all  this  ?  Is 
he  sufficiently  your  friend  to  aid  you,  without  demanding 
anything  in  return  ?" 

"The  duke  conspires  for  himself.  Let  him  go  on  his 
own  way  ;  his  life  answers  for  ours." 

"  But  how  can  I,  who  am  in  his  service,  betray  him  ?" 

"  Betray  him  !  how  so  ?  What  has  he  intrusted  to  you  ? 
Has  he  not  betrayed  you,  by  giving  de  Mouy  your  mantle 
and  hat,  to  enable  him  to  come  here  ?  Were  you  not  in 
my  service  before  you  were  in  his  ?  Has  he  given  you  a 
greater  proof  of  his  friendship  than  I  have  of  love  ?" 

La  Mole  rose,  pale  and  agitated. 

"  Coconnas  was  right/'  murmured  he  ;  "I  am  becoming 
entangled  in  the  net  of  intrigue,  and  it  will  destroy  me. " 

"  Well,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  This  is  my  answer,"  returned  La  Mole.  "  Even  at 
the  extremity  of  France,  where  the  reputation  of  your 
beauty  reached  me,  and  gave  me  my  first  desire  to  visit 
Paris,  that  I  might  see  yon,  I  have  heard  it  said,  that  you 
have  often  loved,  and  that  your  love  has  always  been  fatal 
to  its  objects  ;  death,  doubtless  jealous  of  their  happiness, 
removed  them  from  you.  Do  not  interrupt  me,  Margue- 
rite. It  is  added,  that  you  have  ever  with  you  the  em- 
balmed hearts  of  these  departed  ones,  and  that,  at  times, 
you  bestow  on  these  sad  remains  a  piteous  sigh,  perchance 
a  tear.  You  sigh,  my  queen,  your  eyes  are  lowered  to  the 
ground ;  it  is  true,  then  ?  Well ;  let  me  be  favored  as 
these  were,  only  with  this  difference  ;  swear  that  if  (as  a 
somber  presentiment  assures  me  I  shall)  I  perish  beneath 
the  executioner's  stroke  in  your  service,  you  will  preserve 
that  head  which  I  shall  forfeit,  and  will  sometimes  look 
upon  it.  Swear  this,  and  the  prospect  of  such  a  reward 
ihall  make  me  be,  or  do,  whatever  you  command  me." 

"  Oh,  gloomy  foreboding  ! "  said  the  queen. 


250  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Swear ! " 

"  Swear  ?  " 

"  Yes,  on  this  cross-surmounted  coffer." 

"  I  swear/'  said  Marguerite,  "  that  if  your  somber  pre- 
sentiment be  realized,  you  shall  be  near  me,  living  or  dead, 
so  long  as  I  myself  shall  live  ;  if  I  cannot  save  you,  you 
shall  have  the  poor  consolation  you  ask,  and  which  you 
will  have  so  well  merited." 

"  One  word  more,  Marguerite — I  can  now  die  happily  ; 
but  I  may  live  ;  we  may  triumph,  and  not  fall.  The  King 
of  Navarre  may  become  king,  you  will  then  be  queen  ;  he 
will  take  you  hence  ;  the  vow  of  separation  between  you 
may  one  day  be  broken,  and  lead  to  my  separation  from 
you.  Oh !  dearest  Marguerite,  reassure  me  also  on  this 
point." 

"  Fear  not,"  cried  Marguerite,  placing  her  hand  on  the 
cross  ;  "  if  I  go,  you  shall  accompany  me  ;  if  the  king 
refuses  to  take  you,  I  myself  will  not  depart." 

"  But  you  will  not  dare  resist  him." 

"  Dear  Hyacinthe,"  said  Marguerite,  "you  do  not  know 
the  king  ;  Henry  thinks  but  of  one  thing,  that  of  becoming 
a  king,  and  to  that  he  would  sacrifice  all ;  and  now,  fare- 
well ! " 

From  this  evening  La  Mole  was  no  longer  a  common  fa- 
vorite, and  he  could  proudly  hold  up  that  head,  for  which, 
living  or  dead,  so  high  a  destiny  was  reserved.  Yet  some- 
times his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ground,  his  cheek  grew 
pale,  and  deep  meditation  drew  furrows  on  the  brow  of 
the  young  man,  once  so  gay,  now  so  happy. 


CHAPTEK  XXVII. 

THE   HAND   OF   PROVIDENCE. 

As  Henry  left  Madame  de  Sauve,  he  said  to  her  : 

"  Charlotte,  confine  yourself  to  your  bed  ;  pretend  to  be 

exceedingly  ill,  and  do  not  receive  any  person  during  the 

day  under  any  pretext  whatsoever." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  251 

Charlotte,  knowing  that  Henry  had  secrets  which  he 
revealed  to  no  one,  complied  with  all  his  directions,  cer- 
tain that  his  conduct  was  based  on  some  good  and  sufficing 
grounds. 

Thus,  in  the  evening,  she  complained  to  her  attendant 
Dariole  of  a  heaviness  in  the  head,  accompanied  with 
faintness,  these  being  the  symptoms  Henry  had  requested 
her  to  feign. 

The  next  morning  she  seemed  desirous  of  rising,  but 
scarcely  had  she  placed  her  foot  on  the  floor  than  she  com- 
plained of  general  weakness,  and  returned  to  her  bed. 

This  indisposition,  which  Henry  had  already  adverted  to 
when  speaking  to  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  was  the  first  infor- 
mation that  Catherine  received,  when  she  inquired,  with  a 
calm  air,  why  La  Sauve  did  not  attend  her,  as  usual,  when 
she  arose. 

"She  is  ill/'  said  Madame  de  Lorraine,  who  was 
present. 

"Ill,"  repeated  Catherine,  whilst  not  a  muscle  of  her 
face  announced  the  interest  she  took  in  the  reply;  "a, 
little  indolent,  perhaps  ?" 

"No,  madame,"  replied  the  princess;  "she  complains 
of  a  violent  pain  in  the  head,  and  a  weakness  that  prevents 
her  from  moving." 

Catherine  made  no  reply,  but  to  conceal  her  joy,  no 
doubt,  turned  towards  the  window,  and  seing  Henry  cross 
the  courtyard,  after  his  conversation  with  De  Mouy,  she 
said,  as  she  looked  at  him,  to  her  captain  of  the  guards  : 

"  Do  you  not  think  that  my  son  Henry  looks  paler  than 
usual  this  morning  ?  " 

It  is  true  Henry  was  considerably  disturbed  in  mind,  but 
perfectly  well  in  body. 

Catherine's  suite  left  her,  and  the  instant  she  was  alone, 
she  closed  the  door  securely,  and  going  to  a  secret  cup- 
board, she  drew  from  a  concealed  corner  a  book,  whose 
crumpled  leaves  proved  how  frequently  it  was  made  use  of. 

She  placed  the  volume  on  a  table,  opened  it,  and  after 
consulting  its  pages  for  a  minute,  exclaimed  : 

"  Yes,  it  is  so  ;  headache,  general  weakness,  pains  in  the 


252  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

eyes,  swelling  of  the  palate  ;  as  yet  they  only  mention 
headache  and  weakness ;  but  the  other  symptoms  will 
appear  anon.  Then  follow  inflammation  of  the  throat, 
which  extends  over  the  stomach,  surrounds  the  heart  with 
a  circle  of  fire,  and  makes  the  brain  burst  like  a  stroke  of 
lightning." 

She  read  on  in  low  tone,  and  then  said  : 

"  The  fever  lasts  six  hours,  the  general  inflammation 
twelve  hours,  the  gangrene  twelve  hours,  the  final  agony 
six  hours  ;  in  all  thirty-six  hours." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  suppose  that  absorption  is  a  slower 
process  than  swallowing  ;  instead  of  thirty-six  hours  we 
shall  have  forty,  or  perhaps  forty-eight — yes,  forty-eight 
must  be  sufficient — but  he — he — Henry — how  is  it  that  he 
is  able  to  keep  up  ?  Why,  because  he  is  a  man  with  a 
robust  habit,  and  perhaps  drank  something  after  he  had 
kissed  her,  and  wiped  his  lips  after  drinking."  . 

Oatherine  impatiently  awaited  the  dinner-hour — Henry 
dined  with  the  king  daily.  When  he  came,  he  complained 
of  giddiness  in  the  head,  and  did  not  eat,  but  withdrew 
immediately  after  dinner,  saying  thit  as  he  had  been  up 
nearly  all  the  night  before,  he  felt  a  great  desire  to  sleep. 

Catherine  listened  to  Henry's  retreating  and  staggering 
step,  and  desired  some  one  to  follow  him,  which  was  done, 
and  the  queen-mother  was  informed  that  the  King  of 
Navarre  had  gone  towards  Madame  de  Sauve's  apartment. 

"  Henry,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  will  there  complete  the 
work  of  death  which  unlucky  accident  may  hitherto  have 
rendered  incomplete." 

The  King  of  Navarre  had  gone  to  Madame  de  Sauve's 
apartment,  to  request  her  to  continue  to  play  her  part. 

Next  day  Henry  did  not  quit  his  chamber  all  the  morning, 
nor  did  he  dine  at  the  royal  table.  Madame  de  Sauve,  it 
was  reported,  was  worse  and  worse,  and  the  rumors  of 
Henry's  illness,  spread  by  Catherine  herself,  spread  like  one 
of  those  presentiments  which  no  one  can  explain. 

Catherine  awaited,  then,  with  curiosity,  with  expecta- 
tion, the  moment  when  some  attendant,  pale  and  aghast, 
should  enter  her  apartment,  and  cry  : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  253 

"Your  majesty,  the  King  of  Navarre  is  dying,  and 
Madame  de  Sauve  is  dead." 

The  clock  struck  four,  and  Catherine  was  feeding  with 
crumbs  of  bread  some  rare  birds  which  she  herself  attended 
to.  Although  her  features  were  calm,  and  even  melancholy, 
her  heart  beat  violently  at  the  least  sound. 

Suddenly  the  door  opened. 

"  Madame,"  said  the  captain  of  the  guards,  "the  King 
of  Navarre  is " 

"  111  ?  "  inquired  Catherine,  suddenly. 

"  No,  madame,  thank  God !  his  majesty  seems  excellently 
well." 

"  What  then  have  you  to  say  ?  " 

•/  <J 

"  That  the  King  of  Navarre  is  here." 

"  What  would  he  with  me  ?  " 

"  He  brings  your  majesty  a  small  monkey  of  a  very  rare 
sort." 

And  at  this  moment  Henry  entered,  holding  in  his  hand 
a  basket,  and  caressing  an  onistiti  (a  small  species  of  the 
monkey)  which  was  in  it. 

Henry  smiled  as  he  entered,  and  appeared  quite  occupied 
with  the  small  animal  he  had  brought :  but  yet  preoccupied 
as  he  was,  he  gave  a  glance  which  was  sufficient  under  his 
peculiar  circumstances.  As  to  Catherine,  she  w«s  very 
pale — deadly  pale,  indeed,  as  she  saw  the  cheeks  of  the 
young  man,  as  he  approached  her,  glowing  with  color  and 
health. 

The  queen-mother  was  stupefied  at  this,  and  accepting 
mechanically  the  present  he  made  her,  and  complimenting 
him  in  a  troubled  voice  on  h.s  healthy  appearance,  added  : 

"I  am  the  more  pleased  to  see  you  in  such  health,  my 
son,  after  having  heard  that  you  had  been  unwell  ;  and  I 
remember  you  complained  of  indisposition  in  my  presence  ; 
but  I  see  now,"  she  continued,  c-rying  to  force  a  smile, 
"  it  was  only  an  excuse  that  you  might  have  your  time 
more  freely  to  yourself." 

"  Why,  I  really  was  very  unwell,  madame,"  replied 
Henry,  "but  a  specific  used  in  our  mountains,  and  which 
my  mother  gave  me,  cured  my  indisposition." 


254  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Ah  !  you  will  give  me  the  prescription,  won't  you, 
Henry  ? "  said  Catherine,  really  smiling  this  time,  but 
with  irony  half  concealed. 

"Some  counter-poison/'  she  muttered  ;  "  or  he  was  on 
his  guard  :  seeing  Madame  de  Sauve  ill,  he  had  some  dis- 
trust. Really,  it  would  seem  that  the  hand  of  Providence 
is  extended  over  this  man." 

Catherine  awaited  for  night  most  impatiently.  Madame 
de  Sauve  did  not  appear  ;  and  it  was  stated  that  she  was 
still  worse.  All  the  evening  the  queen-mother  was  un- 
easy ;  and  every  one  asked,  what  could  be  the  thoughts 
that  thus  agitated  a  countenance  usually  so  lit  tie  agitated. 

Every  one  retired.  Catherine  went  to  bed,  and  was  un- 
dressed by  her  woman  ;  but,  when  all  was  hushed  in  the 
Louvre,  she  rose,  put  on  a  long  black  dressing  gown,  and 
with  a  lamp  in  her  hand,  having  selected  the  key  that 
opened  Madame  de  Sauve's  door,  went  to  the  apartment  of 
her  maid  of  honor. 

Had  Henry  anticipated  this  visit  ?  Was  he  in  his  own 
apartment  ?  Was  he  hidden  somewhere  ?  The  young 
lady  was  alone. 

Catherine  opened  the  door  with  precaution,  passed 
through  the  antechamber,  entered  the  saloon,  placed  the 
lamp  on  a  table,  for  there  was  a  night  light  burning  near 
the  invalid,  and  like  a  shadow  she  glided  into  the  sleeping 
apartment. 

Dariole,  extended  in  a  large  armchair,  was  sleeping  near 
her  mistress's  bed,  which  was  closed  in  by  curtains. 

The  breathing  of  the  young  lady  was  so  light,  that  for 
an  instant,  Catherine  thought  she  did  not  breathe  at  all. 

At  length  she  heard  a  light  respiration,  and,  with 
malignant  joy,  she  raised  fche  curtain  that  she  might  her- 
self witness  the  effect  of  the  terrible  poison,  and  she  shud- 
dered at  the  anticipated  aspect  of  the  livid  paleness,  or  the 
devouring  purple,  of  the  mortal  fever  she  hoped  to  see; 
but,  instead  of  that,  calm,  her  eyes  gently  covered  by 
their  ivory  lids,  her  mouth  rosy  and  half-opened,  her  soft 
cheek  reposing  on  one  of  her  arms,  beautifully  rounded, 
whilst  the  other,  fresh  and  beautiful,  was  extended  on  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  255 

crimson  damask  counterpane,  the  young  lady  was  sleeping 
with  a  smile  on  her  lovely  features. 

Catherine  could  not  repress  a  cry,  which  aroused  Dariole 
for  an  instant. 

The  queen-mother  threw  herself  behind  the  bed-cur- 
tains. Dariole  opened  her  eyes,  but  being  drowsy,  she  did 
not  even  try  to  account  to  herself  for  the  cause  of  her 
awaking,  and  her  heavy  eyelids  again  dropping,  she  soon 
slept. 

Catherine  then  coming  from  behind  the  curtain,  look- 
ing all  around,  saw  on  a  small  table  a  flask  of  Spanish 
wine,  some  sweetmeats,  and  two  glasses.  Henry  had 
supped  with  the  baroness,  who  was  as  well  as  himself. 

Catherine  then  going  to  the  toilet-table,  took  up  the 
small  box,  which  was  one-third  empty.  It  was  the 
same,  or  similar,  to  that  she  had  given.  She  took  from  it 
a  morsel  of  the  size  of  a  pearl,  at  the  end  of  a  gold  pin, 
returned  to  her  own  apartment,  and  offered  it  to  the 
small  monkey  which  Henry  had  presented  to  her  the  same 
evening.  The  animal,  tempted  by  the  aromatic,  seized 
and  swallowed  it  greedily,  and  curling  himself  up  in  his 
basket,  went  to  sleep.  Catherine  waited  a  quarter  of  an 
hour. 

"With  half  such  a  piece,"  she  said,  "my  dog  Brunot 
died  in  a  minute.  I  have  been  trifled  with.  Can  it  be 
Rene  ?  Rene  !  that  is  impossible.  Then,  it  is  Henry. 
Cursed  fatality,  it  is  clear ;  as  he  must  reign,  he  cannot 
die.  Perhaps,  it  is  only  poison  against  which  he  is  proof  : 
let  us  then  try  cold  steel." 

Catherine  went  to  her  couch,  turning  over  in  her  mind 
this  fresh  idea,  which  she  resolved  on  essaying  next  day  ; 
and,  in  the  morning,  summoning  the  captain  of  her 
guards,  she  gave  him  a  letter  to  convey  to  its  address,  and 
to  be  handed  only  to  the  person  whose  name  it  bore. 

It  was  addressed  to  "Sire  de  Louviers  de  Maurevel, 
Captain  of  the  King's  Petardiers,  Rue  de  la  Cerisaie,  near 
the  Arsenal/' 


256  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    LETTER    FROM    ROME. 

SOME  days  had  elapsed  since  the  events  we  have  related, 
when  one  morning  a  litter,  escorted  by  several  gentlemen 
wearing  the  colors  of  M.  de  Gnise,  entered  the  Louvre ; 
and  it  was  announced  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre  that  the 
Duchess  de  Nevers  desired  to  pay  her  respects  to  her. 

Marguerite  was  receiving  a  visit  from  Madame  de  Sauve. 
It  was  the  first  time  the  lovely  baroness  had  gone  out  since 
her  pretended  illness. 

Marguerite  congratulated  her  on  her  convalescence,  and 
said  : 

"  You  will  come,  I  hope,  to  the  great  hunt,  which  will 
certainly  take  place  to-morrow." 

"  Why,  madame,"  replied  the  baroness,  "  I  do  not  know 
that  I  shall  be  well  enough/' 

"  Bah,"  replied  Marguerite,  "  you  must  make  an  exer- 
tion ;  and  as  I  myself  am  a  regular  warrior,  I  have  author- 
ized the  king  to  place  at  your  disposal  a  small  Beam  horse, 
which  I  was  to  have  ridden,  and  which  will  carry  you 
famously.  So  you  must  accompany  us." 

"  Your  majesty  overwhelms  me,  and  I  will  be  present, 
as  you  desire  it." 

At  this  moment  the  Duchess  de  Nevers  was  announced. 

"To-morrow,  then,"  said  Marguerite  to  Madame  de 
Sauve.  "Apropos,  you  know,  baroness,"  continued  Mar- 
guerite, "  that  in  public  I  detest  you,  seeing  that  I  am 
horribly  jealous  of  you." 

"  But  in  private  ?"  asked  Madame  de  Sauve. 

"  Oh  !  in  private  I  not  only  forgive  you,  but  even  thank 
you." 

"  Then  your  majesty  will  allow  me 

Marguerite  extended   her   hand,    which   the    baroness 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  257 

kissed  respectfully,  made  a  low  curtsey,  and  left  the  apart- 
ment. 

The  Duchess  de  Nevers  entered.  Gillonne,  at  the  desire 
of  her  mistress,  fastened  the  door,  and  the  duchess,  taking 
a  seat  without  ceremony,  Marguerite  said  to  her,  with  a 
smile  : 

"  Well  I  and  our  famous  swordsman — what  do  we  make 
out  of  iiim  ?  " 

"  My  dear  queen,"  replied  the  duchess,  "  he  is  really  a 
mythological  being ;  he  is  incomparable  in  his  mind,  and 
endless  in  his  humor  ;  I  am  really  fond  of  him  :  and  how 
goes  on  your  Apollo  ?  " 

"Alas  !  "  said  Marguerite,  with  a  sigh. 

"Ah,  ah  !  that  alas  !  frightens  me,  dear  queen." 

"This,  alas!  only  refers  to  myself ,"  replied  Marguerite. 

"  And  what  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"It  means,  dear  duchess,  that  I  have  an  awful  fear  that 
I  love  him  in  real  earnest." 

"Really?" 

"On  my  faith,  as  a  woman  !  " 

"  Ah,  so  much  the  better  ! "  cried  Henriette.  "  It  is  so 
pleasant,  dear  and  learned  queen,  to  rest  one's  mind  on  a 
faithful  and  fond  heart.  Ah,  Marguerite  !  I  have  a  pre- 
sentiment that  we  shall  pass  an  agreeable  year." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  said  the  queen.  "  I,  on  the  con- 
trary, do  not  know  how  it  is,  but  I  appear  to  see  every- 
thing as  it  were  through  a  crape.  All  these  political  tur- 
moils torment  me  terribly.  By  the  way,  learn  if  your  An- 
nibal  is  as  much  devoted  to  my  brother  as  he  appears  to  be. 
It  is  important  to  know  this." 

"  He  devoted  to  anything  !  Ah  !  I  see,  you  do  not  know 
him  as  I  do.  If  he  is  ever  devoted,  it  will  be  to  ambition, 
and  nothing  else.  There  are  really  moments  when  this 
tiger,  whom  I  have  trained,  makes  me  afraid  for  myself. 
The  other  day  I  said  to  him  :  '  Annibal,  mind  and  do  not 
be  false  to  me,  for  if  you  are  false  to  me ' " 

"Well?" 

"  Well,  what  do  you  suppose  was  his^  reply  ?  Why,  he 
said  :  '  And  if  you  are  false  to  me,  do  you  take  care,  for 


258  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

although  you  are  a  princess ; '  and  as  he  said  so,  he 

threatened  me  not  only  with  his  eyes,  but  with  his  finger 
— his  finger,  straight  and  pointed,  and  with  a  nail  cut  like 
a  spear-point,  which  he  put  quite  close  under  my  nose ; 
really,  my  dear  queen,  I  confess  his  countenance  was  so 
threatening  that  I  trembled,  and  you  know  that  ordinarily 
I  am  no  trembler." 

' '  Did  he  really  threaten  you,  Henriette  ?  " 

"  Yes,  mordi  !  but  I  had  threatened  him,  you  see." 

"  Have  you  any  news  for  me  ?  " 

"Yes,  indeed  ;  I  have  received  news  from  Home." 

"  Well  !  and  matters  in  Poland  ?  " 

"  Progress  most  favorably ;  and  in  all  probability  you 
will  in  a  few  days  be  freed  from  your  brother  D'Anjou." 

"  The  pope,  then,  has  ratified  the  election  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  dear." 

'  Why   did  you   not    tell   me   sooner  ?     Come,  quick, 
quick  ! — all  the  details." 

'  OL,  ma  foil  I  have  none  but  what  I  have  told  yon. 
But  here  is  my  husband  De  Nevers'  letter.  No,  that  is 
not  it ;  that  is  a  billet  from  me,  which  I  will  beg  of  you  to 
ask  La  Mole  to  give  to  Annibal.  This  is  the  duke's  letter." 

Marguerite  opened  and  read  it  eagerly,  but  it  told  no 
more  than  she  knew  before  from  the  lips  of  her  friend. 

"  And  how  did  you  receive  this  letter  ?  "  continued  the 
queen. 

By  one  of  my  husband's  couriers,  who  had  his  orders  to 
stop  at  the  H6tel  de  Guise  on  his  way  to  the  Louvre,  and 
hand  me  this  letter,  before  the  king  had  his.  I  knew  the 
importance  which  my  queen  attached  to  this  news,  and 
•wrote  to  M.  de  Nevers  to  do  so.  And  now  in  all  Paris, 
none  but  the  king,  you  and  I,  know  this  news,  unless  the 
man  who  followed  our  courier — 

"  What  man  ?  " 

"  Oh,  what  a  horrible  business  !  Only  imagine  this  poor 
messenger  arriving  tired,  dusty,  and  jaded,  after  traveling 
for  a  whole  week,  day  and  night  incessantly,  constantly 
followed  by  a  man  of  fierce  visage,  who  had  relays,  like 
his  own,  and  traveled  as  fast  as  he  for  these  four  hundred 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  259 

leagues,  our  courier  expecting  every  moment  to  have  a 
ball  in  his  back.  They  both  arrived  at  the  Barriere  St. 
Marcel  at  the  same  time — both  descended  the  Rue  Mouffe- 
tard  at  a  gallop — both  crossed  the  Cite  ;  but  at  the  end  of 
the  bridge  Notre-Dame,  our  courier  turned  to  the  right, 
while  the  other  turned  to  the  left  by  the  Place  du  Chatelet, 
and  passed  along  the  Quais  by  the  Louvre,  like  a  bolt  from 
a  bow." 

"  Thanks  !  thanks  !  dearest  Henriette,"  cried  Margue- 
rite ;  "you  are  right,  and  your  information  is  indeed  in- 
teresting. Who  this  other  courier  is  I  will  find  out. 
Leave  me  now  ;  we  meet  to-night  in  the  Rue  Tizon,  do 
we  not,  and  to-morrow  at  the  hunt  ?  I  will  tell  you  to- 
night what  I  wish  you  to  learn  from  your  Coconnas." 

"Do  not  forget  my  letter." 

"  No,  no  ;  be  easy,  he  shall  have  it  in  time." 

Madame  de  Nevers  went  away,  and  Marguerite  instantly 
sent  for  Henry,  who  hastened  to  her,  and  she  gave  him 
the  letter,  and  told  him  of  the  two  couriers. 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry  ;  "  I  saw  one  enter  the  Louvre." 

"  Perhaps  for  the  queen-mother." 

"No,  for  I  went  into  the  corridor,  and  no  one  passed." 

"  Then,"  said  Marguerite,  looking  at  her  husband,  "  it 
must  be  for " 

"  Your  brother  D'Alengon,  eh  ?  "  said  Henry. 

"  Yes  ;  but  how  to  ascertain  ?" 

"  Can  we  not,"  asked  Henry  negligently,  "  send  for  one 
of  the  two  gentlemen,  and  learn  from  him " 

"  You  are  right,  sire,"  replied  Marguerite  set  at  ease 
by  her  husband's  proposition.  "  I  will  send  for  M.  de  la 
Mole  ; "  and  calling  Gillonne,  she  desired  her  to  seek  that 
gentleman,  and  bring  him  thither. 

Henry  seated  himself  at  a  table,  on  which  was  a  German 
book  with  Albert  Diirer's  engravings,  which  he  looked  at 
with  so  much  attention,  that  when  La  Mole  appeared  he 
did  not  seem  to  hear  him,  not  even  raising  his  head. 

Marguerite  went  to  La  Mole,  and  said  : 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,  can  you  tell  me  who  is  on  guard  to- 
day at  M.  d'Alengon's  ?" 

DUMAS— VOL.  IIL— 12 


260  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Coconuas,  madame,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Endeavor  to  learn  if  he  has  introduced  to  his  master 
a  man  covered  with  mud,  who  seemed  to  have  ridden  a 
long  and  rapid  journey  ?  " 

"  Madame,  I  am  afraid  he  will  not  tell  me,  for  he  has 
been  uncommonly  taciturn  during  the  last  few  days." 

"  Realty  ?  Well,  but  if  you  give  him  this  billet,  I  should 
think  he  would  owe  you  something  in  exchange." 

"  From  the  duchess  ?  Ah,  madame,  let  me  have  it,  and 
I  will  answer  for  all ; "  and  taking  the  letter,  he  went 
quickly  away. 

"We  shall  know  to-morrow  if  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  is 
informed  of  the  affair  of  Poland,"  said  Marguerite,  turn- 
ing towards  her  husband. 

"  This  M.  de  la  Mole  is  really  a  very  capital  servant/' 
said  the  Bearnais,  with  his  own  most  peculiar  smile,  "  and, 
by  the  mass  !  I  will  make  his  fortune." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    DEPARTURE. 

WHEN  the  red  rayless  sun  rose  next  morning  over  Paris, 
the  court  had  already  been  in  motion  for  two  hours. 

A  splendid  barb,  agile  as  a  deer,  the  swelling  veins  of 
whose  neck  indicated  his  high  breeding,  pawed  impatiently 
in  the  court,  awaiting  the  king  ;  but  his  impatience  was 
less  than  his  master's,  detained  by  his  mother,  who  wished 
to  speak  of  an  affair  of  the  greatest  importance. 

They  were  both  in  the  great  gallery  :  Catherine  pale  and 
cold  as  ever  ;  Charles  IX.  biting  his  nails,  and  chastising 
the  two  favorite  dogs  which  stood  by  him,  clothed  in  the 
coat  of  mail  which  protected  them  from  the  boar's  tusks. 
A  shield  emblazoned  with  the  arms  of  France  was  attached 
to  their  chests,  like  that  on  the  breasts  of  the  royal  pages. 

"  Listen,  Charles,"  said  Catherine.  "  None  but  you 
and  I  are  aware  of  the  approaching  arrival  of  the  Polish 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  261 

ambassadors  ;  and  yet  the  King  of  Navarre  acts  as  if  he 
knew  of  it.  In  spite  of  his  pretended  abjuration,  he 
keeps  up  a  correspondence  with  the  Huguenots.  Have 
you  remarked  how  frequently  he  has  gone  out,  within  the 
last  few  days.  He  has  money — he  who  never  before  had 
any  ;  he  purchases  horses  and  weapons,  and  when  it  rains, 
he  practises  fencing." 

"  Bah  !  mother,"  cried  Charles,  impatiently  ;  "do  you 
think  he  is  going  to  kill  D'Anjou  or  myself  ;  he  must 
take  a  few  more  lessons  first ;  for  yesterday  I  touched 
with  my  foil  the  buttons  on  his  doublet  eleven  times, 
though  there  are  but  six  of  them  ;  and  D'Anjou  is  even 
more  skilful  than  I,  or  at  least  he  says  so." 

"  Attend,  Charles,"  said  Catherine,  "  and  do  not  treat 
your  mother's  warnings  with  such  levity.  These  ambas- 
sadors will  soon  arrive  ;  once  here,  you  will  see  Henry  do- 
ing his  best  to  gain  their  attention  ;  he  is  very  insinuat- 
ing and  cunning,  and  his  wife,  who  now  abets  him,  I  don't 
understand  why,  will  chatter  Latin  and  Greek,  Hungarian, 
and  I  know  not  what  else,  with  them.  I  tell  you,  Charles, 
and  I  am  never  mistaken,  there  is  something  in  hand." 

At  this  moment  the  clock  struck.     Charles  listened. 

"  Mort  de  ma  vie!  seven  :  an  hour  to  get  there,  an 
hour  more  at  cover  ;  zounds  !  it  will  be  nine  before  we 
are  at  it !  Down,  Eisque-tout ! — down,  you  rascal  !  " 

And  as  he  spoke,  a  vigorous  lash  drew  from  the  poor 
hound,  astonished  at  receiving  chastisement  instead  of  a 
caress,  a  yell  of  agony. 

"  Charles,"  resumed  Catherine,  "  attend  to  me,  and 
do  not  thus  put  to  hazard  your  own  fortune  and  that  of 
France.  The  chase  !  the  chase  !  you  will  have  time 
enough  for  the  chase,  when  you  have  completed  the  work 
before  us." 

"  Bah !  bah  !  mother,"  said  Charles,  pale  with  rage  ; 
"  tell  me  at  once,  what  you  want." 

And  he  struck  his  boot  with  his  whip. 

Catherine  saw  the  favorable  moment  had  arrived,  and 
determined  not  to  let  it  slip. 

"  My  son,"  said   she,  "we  know  that  M.  de  Mouy  is 


262  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

again  in  Paris  ;  M.  de  Maurevel  has  seen  him.  He  can 
only  be  here  for  the  King  of  Navarre's  purposes.  Here  is 
good  ground  for  increased  suspicion." 

"  Ah,  here  you  are  again  at  poor  Harry  !  I  suppose 
you  want  me  to  kill  him." 

"  Oh  no  !  " 

"  To  banish  him  ?  But  don't  you  perceive  he  wonld 
be  more  formidable  at  a  distance,  than  here,  in  the  Louvre, 
where  we  know  everything  he  does  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  want  to  banish  him." 

"  What  then  ?     Come,  quick  !" 

"  I  would  have  him  confined  while  the  Poles  are  here  ; 
in  the  Bastille,  for  instance." 

"  Oh,  Ma  foil  no,"  cried  Charles  IX.  "We  are  going 
to  hunt  the  boar  this  morning  ;  Henry  is  one  of  my  best 
assistants.  The  chase  would  be  nothing  without  him. 
Mordieu  !  you  do  nothing  but  annoy  me." 

"  My  son,  I  do  not  say  to-day  ;  to-morrow  will  be  time 
enough  ! " 

"  Ah,  that  is  different ;  we  will  speak  again  of  this,  after 
the  hunt,  say.  Adieu  !  Come,  Risque-tout,  don't  be 
sulky!" 

"  Charles,"  said  Catherine,  taking  hold  of  his  arm, 
spite  of  the  explosion  she  knew  might  follow,  "I  think  it 
would  be  best  to  sign  the  warrant  at  once,  although  we 
do  not  execute  it  to-night." 

"  Sign  !  write  an  order  !  go  and  look  for  the  seal,  when 
I  am  going  to  hunt  ?  Devil  take  me  if  I  do  ! " 

"  Nay,  I  love  you  too  much  to  delay  you  ;  I  have  every- 
thing prepared." 

And  Catherine,  agile  as  a  girl,  opened  the  door  of  her 
private  cabinet,  and  showed  the  king  an  inkstand,  a  pen, 
a  parchment,  and  a  lighted  taper. 

The  king  rapidly  run  his  eye  over  the  parchment  : 

"  Order,  etc.,  etc.,  to  arrest  and  conduct  to  the  Bastille 
our  brother  Henry  of  Navarre." 

"  There  !"  said  he,  hastily  affixing  his  name  to  it. 

And  he  sprang  out  of  the  cabinet,  glad  to  escape  so 
easily. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  263 

Charles  was  waited  for  impatiently  ;  and  as  his  punctu- 
ality in  hunting  arrangements  was  well  known,  his  non- 
appearance  occasioned  no  small  surprise.  The  instant  he 
appeared,  the  hunters  saluted  him  with  cheers,  the  whip- 
pers-in  with  their  horns,  the  horses  with  neighings,  and 
the  hounds  with  their  most  sweet  voices.  Charles,  for  a 
moment,  was  young  and  happy  amidst  all  this  noise,  and 
the  color  mounted  up  into  his  pallid  cheeks. 

He  scarcely  gave  himself  time  to  return  the  salutations 
of  the  brilliant  assembly.  He  nodded  to  D'Alen9on, 
waved  his  hand  to  Marguerite,  passed  Henry  without 
seeming  to  observe  him,  and  sprang  upon  the  horse  that 
awaited  him.  The  noble  animal  bounded  impatiently, 
but  soon  comprehending  with  how  perfect  an  equestrian 
it  had  to  deal,  became  quiet. 

The  horns  once  more  sounded,  and  the  King  left  the 
Louvre,  followed  by  the  Duke  d'Alenqon,  the  King  of 
Navarre,  Marguerite,  Madame  de  Nevers,  Madame  de 
Sauve,  Tavannes,  and  the  chief  nobles  of  the  court. 

As  for  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  he  had  been  at  the  siege  of 
Rochelle  for  the  last  three  months. 

Whilst  waiting  for  the  king,  Henry  had  approached  his 
wife,  who  whispered  : 

"The  courier  from  Rome  was  conducted  by  M.  de  Co- 
connas  to  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 
the  Duke  de  Nevers'  messenger  saw  the  king." 

"  Then  he  knows  all." 

"He  needs  must.  Look  at  him;  despite  his  accom- 
plished dissimulation,  he  cannot  conceal  his  joy," 

"  Ventre-saint-gris  !  "  said  the  Bearnais,  "  he  is  hunting 
three  thrones  to-day :  France,  Poland,  and  Navarre, 
without  reckoning  the  boar. " 

Then,  saluting  his  wife,  Henry  returned  to  his  place, 
and  called  one  of  his  servants,  a  Bearnese,  whom  he  was 
in  the  habit  of  employing  in  his  love  affairs. 

"  Orthon,"  said  he,  "take  this  key  to  Madame  de 
Sauve's  cousin,  at  his  house,  the  corner  of  the  Rue  des 
Qnatre-fils.  Tell  him  his  cousin  wishes  to  see  him  this 
evening  ;  that  he  is  to  go  to  my  chamber ;  if  I  am  not 


264:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

there,  he  is  to  wait  for  me  ;  and  if  I  am  late,  he  can  lay 
down  in  my  bed." 

"  There  is  no  answer,  sire  ?  " 

"  None,  except  to  tell  me  if  you  have  seen  him.  The 
key  is  for  him  only,  you  understand  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"Stop,  blockhead,  you  must  not  go  off  now  :  it  would 
create  observation.  Before  we  leave  Paris,  I  will  call  you, 
as  if  my  girth  was  slackened  ;  then  you  can  wait  behind, 
discharge  your  commission,  and  join  us  at  Bondy." 

Orthon  bowed  and  drew  back. 

The  cavalcade  passed  down  the  Hue  St.-Honor6,  the  Eue 
St. -Denis,  then  the  Fauxbourg.  At  the  Rue  St. -Laurent, 
the  king's  saddle  became  ungirthed  ;  Orthon  galloped  up, 
and  everything  passed  as  the  king  had  arranged.  The 
royal  cortege  passed  down  the  Eue  des  Eecollets,  and  the 
faithful  valet  dashed  into  the  Rue  du  Temple. 

When  Henry  rejoined  the  king,  he  was  so  busy  talking 
to  D'Alen9on  about  the  expected  boar,  that  he  either  did 
not  perceive  or  affected  not  to  perceive  that  Henry  had 
stayed  behind. 

Madame  Marguerite  remarked  that  her  brother  seemed 
embarrassed  whenever  he  glanced  at  Henry.  Madame  de 
Nevers  was  in  high  glee,  for  Coconnas  was  in  capital  vein 
with  his  jests. 

At  a  quarter-past  eight,  the  cortege  arrived  at  Bondy. 

Charles's  first  care  was  to  inquire  whether  the  boar  had 
broken  cover.  The  boar,  however,  the  huntsman  assured 
him,  was  still  in  his  lair. 

A  collation  was  prepared  ;  the  king  drank  a  glass  of 
Hungarian  wine ;  then,  inviting  the  ladies  to  seat  them- 
selves, he  went  to  inspect  the  kennels  and  the  mews,  hav- 
ing first  given  strict  orders  that  his  horse  should  not  be 
unsaddled  meanwhile. 

During  his  absence,  the  Duke  de  Guise  arrived  ;  he 
was  armed  as  if  for  war,  rather  than  for  the  chase,  and 
was  attended  by  twenty  or  thirty  gentlemen  in  similar 
array.  He  went  to  seek  the  king,  and  returned  conversing 
with  him. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  267 

At  nine  o'c\r  majesty  would  permit  this  it  would  be  a 
for  departur 
place  of  me&im  in  the  Louvre,  then." 

During  t:t  part  ?  " 

"  Well,"  iwn  apartments." 

"  Nothinl  bowed, 
at  you."  when,  madame  ?  " 

"Ihtnight." 

"  It  shall  be  done,  madame.     But  deign  to  tell  me  what 

"ard  I  am  to  have  for  his  rank  ! " 

cov  Regard! — rank!"  said  Catherine.     "  Know  you  not 
wiat  the  King  of  France  acknowledges  no  one  of  a  rank 
;qual  to  his  own  in  France  ?" 

"  Yet  one  other  question,  madame.  Should  the  king 
Contest  the  authenticity  of  this  order — it  is  not  unlikely — 
but " 

"  On  the  contrary,  it  is  certain " 

"  That  he  will  contest  it  ?  " 

"Without  doubt." 

"  And  that,  consequently,  he  will  refuse  to  obey  it  ?  n 

"  I  fear  so." 

"And  will  resist  it?" 

"  Most  likely." 

ki "  Zounds  ! "  said  Maurevel ;  "  in  that  case " 

Pr"  In  what  case  ?"  asked  Catherine. 
re  "  In  case  he  resists." 

sai«  What  do  you  do  when  you  have  the  king's  warrant, 
^d  a  simple  gentleman  resists  you  ?  " 

"I  kill  him,  madame,"  returned  the  bravo. 

"  I  told  you  just  now  that  every  one  in  France  is,  in 
the  king's  eyes,  but  a  simple  gentleman." 

Maurevel  turned  pale,  for  he  began  to  understand. 

"  Oh,  oh  ! "  said  he,  "  kill  the  King  of  Navarre  ! " 

**  Who  spoke  of  killing  him  ?  This  order  is  only  to  con- 
duct him  to  the  Bastille.  If  he  suffers  himself  to  be  ar- 
rested quietly,  well  and  good  :  but  if  he  resists,  and  seeks 
to  kill  you " 

Maurevel  grew  still  paler. 

"  You  will,  of  course,  defend  yourself.     A  bravo  soldier 


268  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

like  you  cannot  be  expected  to  suffer  himself  to  be  killed  ; 
and  then,  in  your  own  defense,  happen  what  will — you 
understand  ?  " 

"Yes,  madame." 

"  Come,  you  want  me  to  write  on  the  order  the  words — 
Dead  or  alive  9  " 

"  I  confess  that  would  remove  my  scruples." 

"  Well — I  must  do  it,  I  suppose." 

And  unrolling  the  warrant  with  one  hand,  with  the  other 
she  wrote,  '•  Dead  or  alive." 

"  Is  the  order  sufficiently  formal  now  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  but  I  pray  you,  let  me  have  the  exe- 
cution of  it  entirely  to  myself." 

"  Will  anything  I  have  said  interfere  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty  bade  me  take  twelve  men." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"  I  request  your  permission  to  take  only  six." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  six  guards  may  be  excused  for  being  afraid  of 
losing  a  prisoner  ;  twelve  would  never  be." 

"  Do  as  you  will,"  said  Catherine.  "  Meantime,  you 
must  not  quit  the  Louvre." 

"  But  how  shall  I  collect  my  men  ?  " 

"  Have  you  no  person  you  can  employ  in  this  ?" 

"  There  is  my  servant,  a  trusty  fellow,  who  sometimes 
aids  me  in  such  things." 

"  Send  for  him  and  arrange  your  plans.  You  will  break- 
fast in  the  king's  armory.  When  he  returns  from  hunt- 
ing, you  can  go  to  my  oratory,  and  wait  there  till  the  hour 
comes." 

"  How  shall  we  get  into  the  king's  chamber  ?  he,  doubt- 
less, has  his  suspicions,  and  fastens  the  door  within." 

"  I  have  keys  that  open  all  the  doors  in  the  Louvre  ;  and 
the  bolts  have  been  removed  from  his  door.  Adieu,  M.  de 
Maurevel.  Remember,  any  failure  would  compromise  the 
king's  honor." 

And  Catherine,  without  leaving  Maurevel  time  to  reply, 
called  M.  de  Nancey  the  captain  of  her  guards,  and  bade 
him  conduct  Maurevel  into  the  king's  armory. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  269 

"  Mordieu  !  "  said  Maurevel.  "lam  rising  in  my  pro- 
fession. First  I  killed  a  simple  gentleman,  then  I  shot  at 
an  admiral,  now  'tis  a  king  without  a  crown  :  who  knows 
but  some  day  I  may  have  to  settle  a  king  with  a  crown  1 " 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  BOAR-HUNT. 

THE  huntsman  was  not  deceived  when  he  affirmed  that 
the  game  had  not  broken  covert.  Scarcely  had  the  hounds 
entered,  when  the  boar,  which  was,  as  the  huntsman  had 
said,  one  of  the  largest  size,  appeared. 

The  animal  passed  within  fifty  paces  of  the  king,  fol- 
lowed only  by  the  hound  which  had  roused  him  ;  but  twenty 
dogs  were  speedily  uncoupled,  and  laid  on  his  track. 

The  chase  was  Charles's  passion  ;  and  scarcely  had  the 
animal  appeared  than  he  dashed  after  him,  followed  by 
the  Duke  d'Alen9on  and  Henry,  who  had  received  a  sign 
from  Marguerite,  warning  him  not  to  lose  sight  of  the 
king.  The  other  huntsmen  followed. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  some  impassable  thickets  pre- 
sented themselves,  and  Charles  returned  to  the  glade,  curs- 
ing and  swearing  as  was  his  wont : 

"  Zounds  1  D'Alenqon,  zounds  !  Harry,  here  you  are, 
calm  and  milklike  as  nuns  following  the  abbess  in  proces- 
sion. Do  you  call  that  hunting  ?  You,  D'Alenc,on,  look 
as  if  you  had  just  come  out  of  a  box  ;  you  are  so  perfumed, 
that  if  you  get  between  the  boar  and  the  dogs,  you  will 
spoil  the  scent ;  and  you,  Harry,  where  is  your  boar-spear  ? 
where  is  your  arquebuss  ?  " 

"  Sire/'  said  Henry,  "  what  is  the  use  of  an  arquebuss  ? 
I  know  your  majesty  likes  to  shoot  the  boar  at  bay.  As 
for  the  boar-spear,  it  is  never  used  in  my  country,  where 
we  hunt  the  bear  with  the  simple  poniard." 

"Mordieu!"  replied  Charles,  "you  must  send  me  a 
cartload  of  bears  when  you  go  back  to  the  Pyrenees.  It 


270  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

must  be  glorious  sport  to  contend  foot  to  foot  with  an 
animal  that  may  strangle  one  in  a  minute.  Hark!  I  think 
I  hear  them.  No  ! " 

The  king  blew  a  blast  on  his  horn  that  was  answered  by 
several  others.  At  this  moment  a  huntsman  appeared,  and 
sounded  another  note. 

"  Seen  !  seen  ! "  cried  the  king  ;  and  he  set  spurs  to  his 
horse,  followed  by  all  around  him. 

The  huntsman  was  right :  as  the  king  advanced,  the 
pack,  now  composed  of  more  than  sixty  dogs,  was  heard 
distinctly.  The  king  no  sooner  saw  the  boar  pass  a  second 
time,  than  he  pursued  him  at  full  speed,  blowing  his  horn 
with  all  his  might. 

The  princes  followed  him  some  time  ;  but  the  king's 
horso  was  so  strong,  and  bore  him  over  such  difficult  ways, 
through  such  thick  coverts,  that  first  the  ladies,  then  the 
Duke  de  Guise  and  the  gentlemen,  and  then  the  two 
princes,  were  fain  to  draw  rein.  Tavannes  followed  him 
awhile  longer,  but  he,  in  his  turn,  was  compelled  to  give 
it  up. 

All  then,  except  the  king  and  a  few  huntsmen,  incited 
by  the  hope  of  reward,  found  themselves  near  the  glade 
they  had  started  from.  The  two  princes  were  side  by  side 
in  a  long,  broad  forest  path,  the  Duke  de  Guise  and  his 
attendants  at  some  little  distance  on. 

' '  Does  it  not  seem,"  said  the  Duke  d'Alengon  to  Henry, 
"  that  this  man,  with  his  armed  retinue,  is  the  real  king  ? 
He  does  not  deign  to  glance  at  us  poor  princes." 

"  Why  should  he  treat  us  better  than  we  are  treated  by 
our  own  relations  ?  You  and  I  are  but  the  hostages  of  our 
party  at  the  court." 

The  duke  started  and  looked  at  Henry,  as  if  calling  for 
further  explanation,  but  the  latter  remained  silent. 

"  What  mean  you  ? "  asked  Frangois,  evidently  cha- 
grined at  his  brother-in-law's  compelling  him  to  pursue  the 
subject. 

"I  mean,"  returned  Henry,  "that  all  these  armed  men 
Beem  like  guards  stationed  to  prevent  two  persons  from 
escaping." 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  271 

"  From  escaping  !  why  ?  how  Y  "  asked  the  duke,  with 
admirably  affected  surprise. 

"  You  have  a  magnificent  genet  there,  D'Alenqon,"  said 
Henry,  affecting  to  change  the  conversation,  and  yet 
adroitly  pursuing  the  subject ;  "  I  am  sure  he  would  do 
fourteen  miles  in  an  hour,  and  forty  between  this  and  mid- 
day. See,  what  a  beautiful  cross-road  there  is  that  way  : 
does  it  not  invite  you  to  loosen  rein  ?  As  for  me,  I  should 
like  a  gallop  vastly." 

Fran9ois  made  no  reply,  but  turned  very  red,  and  affected 
to  listen  for  the  hunters. 

"  The  news  from  Poland  has  taken  effect,"  thought 
Henry.  "  My  dear  brother-in-law  has  a  plan  of.  his  own. 
He  is  willing  enough  I  should  be  off  ;  but  I  don't  fly  alone, 
he  may  rely  upon  it." 

At  this  moment,  several  converts  from  Protestantism, 
who  had  been  but  a  short  time  at  the  court,  came  up,  and 
saluted  the  princes  with  a  meaning  smile. 

The  Duke  d'Alen9on  needed  but  to  say  one  word,  to 
make  but  one  sign  ;  for  it  was  evident  that  the  thirty  or 
forty  cavaliers  collected,  as  if  by  chance,  round  him,  were 
ready  to  oppose  M.  de  Guise's  troop,  and  favor  his  flight. 
The  duke,  however,  turned  his  head,  and  placing  his  horn 
to  his  lips,  blew  a  recall. 

Still,  the  newcomers,  as  if  they  believed  the  duke's 
hesitation  arose  from  the  presence  of  the  Guisards,  gradu- 
ally placed  themselves  between  that  party  and  the  princes, 
in  a  manner  that  showed  they  were  well  accustomed  to 
military  maneuvers.  In  order  to  reach  the  Duke  d'Alen- 
qon  and  the  King  of  Navarre,  it  would  be  necessary  for 
the  Guise  party  to  pass  through  them ;  whilst  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  the  cross-road  was  free. 

Suddenly,  between  the  trees,  at  ten  paces  from  the  king, 
appeared  a  gentleman,  whom  the  two  princes  had  not  yet 
seen.  Whilst  Henry  was  conjecturing  who  he  could  be, 
he  raised  his  hat,  and  displayed  the  features  of  the  Vi- 
comte  de  Turenne,  one  of  the  Protestant  leaders,  who  was 
believed  to  be  in  Poicton. 

The  vicomte  made  a  sign  that  asked  : 


272  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Will  you  come  ?  " 

But  Henry,  after  consulting  the  immovable  visage  of  the 
Duke  d'Alen9on,  turned  his  head  two  or  three  times,  as  if 
something  in  his  collar  hurt  him. 

The  vicomte  understood  him,  and  instantly  disappeared. 

Suddenly  the  hounds  were  again  heard  ;  and  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  ride,  in  which  were  the  princes,  the  boar 
passed,  and  then  the  dogs,  and  then,  looking  like  the  wild 
huntsman,  Charles,  bareheaded,  and  blowing  his  horn  furi- 
ously :  three  or  four  huntsmen  rode  after  him  :  Tavannes 
was  not  there. 

"  The  king  ! "  cried  D'Alen9on,  and  he  instantly  galloped 
after  him. 

Keassured  by  the  presence  of  his  friends,  whom  he  mo- 
tioned not  to  leave  him,  Henry  advanced  to  the  ladies. 

"Well,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  Well,  madame,"  said  Henry,  "  we  are  hunting  the 
boar." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  ** 

"  The  wind  has  changed  since  the  morning,  as  I  pre- 
dicted to  you  it  would." 

"These  changes  of  the  wind  are  very  bad  for  hunting, 
are  they  not,  sir  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"Yes;  sometimes  they  disturb  all  our  arrangements, 
and  we  have  to  form  a  new  plan  altogether/' 

The  pack  was  now  heard,  and  every  one  turned  to  listen. 

Suddenly  the  boar  broke  out  of  the  wood,  and  dashed  by 
the  ladies  and  their  gallants. 

Behind  him,  close  on  his  haunches,  came  forty  or  fifty 
hounds,  and  then  the  king,  bareheaded,  without  hat  or 
mantle,  his  dress  torn  by  the  thorns,  his  hands  and  face 
all  bloody  ;  only  one  or  two  huntsmen  kept  up  with  him. 

"  Hallali  !  hallali ! "  cried  he,  as  he  passed,  placing  his 
horn  to  his  bleeding  lips,  and  boar,  dogs,  and  king  disap- 
peared like  a  vision. 

Immediately  after  them  came  D'Alen9ou,  and  two  or 
three  piqueurs. 

Every  one  followed,  for  it  was  plain  the  boar  would  soon 
be  brought  to  bay. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  2Y3 

And  so  it  happened  :  in  less  than  ten  minutes,  the  boar, 
coming  to  an  open  spot,  placed  his  back  against  a  rock, 
and  prepared  himself  for  a  desperate  struggle. 

The  most  interesting  moment  of  the  chase  was  come  : 
the  dogs,  though  well-nigh  breathless  with  a  chase  of  more 
than  three  hours,  rushed  upon  the  boar. 

All  the  hunters  ranged  themselves  in  a  circle — the  king 
a  little  in  advance,  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  behind  him  with 
his  arquebuss,  and  Henry,  who  had  only  his  hunting-knife. 

The  Duke  d'Ale^on  lighted  the  match  of  his  arquebuss  ; 
Henry  loosened  his  knife  in  its  sheath. 

The  Duke  de  Guise,  who  despised  all  such  sports,  re- 
mained in  the  background  with  his  party. 

At  some  distance  was  a  piqueur,  who  with  difficulty  held 
back  the  king's  two  huge  boar-hounds,  which,  struggling 
and  baying,  awaited  anxiously  the  moment  when  they 
should  be  let  loose  upon  their  prey. 

The  animal  fought  most  gallantly  ;  attacked  at  once  by 
forty  dogs,  surrounding  him  like  a  raging  sea,  he  at  every 
stroke  of  his  tusk  hurled  into  the  air  one  of  the  gallant 
creatures,  torn  and  dying.  In  ten  minutes,  twenty  dogs 
were  killed  or  disabled. 

" Let  loose  the  hounds  I"  cried  the  king. 

The  piqueur  opened  the  swivel  of  the  leashes,  and  the 
two  huge  animals,  protected  by  their  coats  of  mail,  dashed 
through  the  thickest  of  the  fray,  and  seized  the  boar  each 
by  an  ear. 

(e  Bravo,  Risque-tout  !  bravo,  Dure-Dent  ! "  cried 
Charles.  "  A  boar-spear  !  a  boar-spear  !  " 

"  Will  you  have  my  arquebuss  ?  "  said  D'Alenqon. 

"  No,  no  ! "  cried  the  king,  "  there  is  no  pleasure  in 
shooting  him  ;  but  'tis  delicious  to  feel  the  spear  going  in. 
A  spear  !  a  spear  !  " 

One  was  presented  to  him. 

"  Take  care,  Charles,"  said  Marguerite. 

"To  him  !  to  him!" 

"Do  not  miss  him,  sire.  Pierce  the  heretic  through 
and  through  ! "  cried  the  Duchess  de  Nevers. 

"  Never  fear  ! "  replied  the  king  ;  and  leveling  his  spear, 
18 


274  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

hs  rushed  at  the  boar.  But  at  the  sight  of  the  glittering 
steel,  the  animal  made  so  suddeii  a  movement,  that  the 
spear  glanced  off  his  shoulder,  and  broke  against  the  rock. 
"  Milles  noms  d'un  diable  !  I  have  missed  ! "  cried  Charles, 
impatiently.  ' '  Another  spear  ! " 

And  backing  his  steed,  like  the  knights  of  old  in  a 
tournament,  he  cast  away  the  broken  weapon. 

A  piqueur  advanced  to  offer  him  another. 

But  as  if  he  foresaw  his  fate,  and  sought  to  avoid  it,  the 
boar,  by  a  violent  effort,  burst  from  the  dogs,  and,  his 
hair  bristling,  his  mouth  foaming  with  rage,  and  clashing 
his  tusks  together,  he  rushed  at  Charles. 

The  king  was  too  good  a  sportsman  not  to  have  foreseen 
this  attack.  Pulling  hard  on  the  rein,  he  made  his  horse 
rear  ;  but  either  from  the  curb  being  too  tightly  pressed, 
or  from  fear,  the  animal  fell  back  upon  his  rider. 

A  cry  burst  from  every  one  ;  the  king's  thigh  was  caught 
between  the  saddle  and  the  ground. 

"  Let  the  bridle  go,  sire,"  cried  Henry. 

The  king  abandoned  his  hold  of  the  rein,  seized  the 
saddle  with  his  left  h?nd,  and  with  his  right  strove  to  draw 
his  hunting-knife,  but  in  vain  ;  the  sheath  was  so  tightly 
pressed  by  his  body  as  to  render  that  impossible. 

"  The  boar  !  the  boar  I"  cried  Charles.  "  Help,  help, 
D'Alenc.on." 

The  horse,  as  if  he  comprehended  the  danger  of  his 
master,  rose  on  his  forefeet,  when  Henry  saw  D>Alen9on 
turn  ghastly  pale  as  he  placed  his  arquebussto  his  shoulder 
and  fired.  The  ball,  instead  of  hitting  the  boar,  struck 
the  foreleg  of  the  king's  horse,  which  instantly  fell  again. 

"  Oh  1"  murmured  D'Alen9on,  his  lips  blanched  with 
fear,  "I  think  that  D'Anjou  is  King  of  France,  and  I 
King  of  Poland  I" 

And,  in  fact,  the  boar's  tusk  already  grazed  Charles' 
thigh,  when  the  king  felt  his  arm  raised,  and  saw  a  bright 
blade  flash  before  his  eyes,  and  bury  itself  up  to  the  hilt 
behind  the  boar's  shoulder,  while  a  hand,  gloved  in  iron, 
was  dashed  against  the  mouth  of  the  monster. 

Charles  had  by  this  time  freed  himself  from  his  strug- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  275 

gling  horse,  and  rose  with  difficulty  ;  when  he  saw  his 
dress  streaming  with  blood,  he  grew  still  paler  than  be- 
fore. 

"Sire,"  said  Henry,  who,  still  on  one  knee,  kept  his 
knife  in  the  boar's  breast,  "  you  are  not  hurt  ;  I  turned 
the  tusk  aside  in  time."  He  then  rose,  leaving  the  knife 
in  the  boar,  which  turned  over  dead,  bleeding  still  more 
profusely  from  the  mouth  even  than  from  the  wound. 

Charles,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  courtiers,  all  sending 
forth  cries  of  terror,  seemed  for  a  moment  about  to  fall 
by  the  dead  boar ;  but  recovering  himself,  he  turned  to 
the  King  of  Navarre,  with  his  eyes  beaming  with  the  first 
ray  of  sensibility  that  had  touched  his  heart  for  full  four- 
and-twenty  years. 

"  Thanks  !  Harry,"  said  he. 

"  My  poor  brother/'  said  D'Alenc,on,  coming  up  to  him. 

"  Ah,  is  that  you,  D'Alenqon  ! "  cried  the  king.  "  Well, 
famous  marksman  that  you  are,  where  is  your  ball  ?" 

"  It  must  have  flattened  upon  the  boar,  no  doubt." 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu"  said  Henry,  with  an  air  of  surprise, 
admirably  feigned,  ' '  your  ball  has  broken  the  leg  of  the 
king's  horse.  How  very  singular  ! " 

"Ah  !  is  that  so  ?"  said  the  king. 

"  Perhaps,"  replied  the  duke,  all  consternation  ;  "  my 
hand  trembled  so." 

"  Humph  !  for  a  first-rate  marksman  you  made  a  most 
curious  shot,  D'Alenqon,"  said  Charles,  frowning  ;  "  once 
more,  Harry,  thanks  ! " 

Marguerite  advanced  to  congratulate  the  king,  and  thank 
her  husband. 

"  Oh,  by  my  faith,  Margot,  you  may  well  thank  him, 
heartily,"  said  Charles  ;  "  but  for  him  the  King  of  France 
would  be  Henry  III." 

"  Alas,  madame,"  returned  Henry,  "  M.  d'Anjou,  who 
is  already  my  enemy,  will  be  more  than  ever  so,  now  ;  but 
every  one  does  what  he  can.  Ask  M.  d'Alenqon  else " 

And,  stooping  down,  he  withdrew  his  knife  from  the 
body  of  the  boar,  and  plunged  it  several  times  into  the 
earth  to  cleanse  it  from  the  blood. 


276  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And    now,  ladies   and    gentlemen,"  said    the   king, 
"  homeward  1    I  have  had  enough  for  one  day." 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FRATERNITY. 

IN  saving  the  life  of  Charles,  Henry  had  done  more  than 
save  the  life  of  a  man — he  had  prevented  three  kingdoms 
from  changing  sovereigns. 

Had  Charles  IX.  been  killed,  the  Duke  d'Anjou  would 
have  been  King  of  France,  and  the  Duke  d'Alei^on  most 
probably  King  of  Poland.  As  to  Navarre,  as  the  Duke 
d'Anjou  was  enamored  of  Madame  de  Conde,  that  crown 
would  in  all  probability  have  paid  the  husband  for  the 
complaisance  of  his  wife. 

In  all  this  confusion,  nothing  beneficial  would  have 
arisen  for  Henry.  He  would  have  changed  his  master, 
that  was  all ;  and  instead  of  Charles  IX.,  who  tolerated 
him,  he  would  have  seen  the  Duke  d'Anjou  on  the  throne, 
who,  having  but  one  head  and  one  heart  with  his  mother 
Catherine,  had  sworn  his  death,  and  would  have  kept  his 
oath. 

These  were  the  ideas  that  floated  throagh  his  brain  when 
the  wild  boar  had  rushed  on  King  Charles,  and  we  have 
seen  the  result  of  this  reflection,  rapid  as  lightning,  that 
the  life  of  Charles  IX.  was  bound  up  with  his  own  exist- 
ence. 

Charles  IX.,  then,  was  saved  by  a  devotion,  whose 
spring  and  action  he  could  not  comprehend.  Marguerite, 
however,  had  comprehended  it  fully,  and  had  admired  the 
strange  courage  of  Henry,  which,  like  lightning,  shone 
only  in  the  dark. 

Henry,  as  he  returned  to  Bondy,  reflected  deeply  on  his 
situation,  and  when  he  reached  the  Louvre,  he  had  re- 
solved on  his  plan  of  action.  Without  taking  off  his  boots, 
but  all  dusty  and  covered  with  blood  as  he  was,  he  went 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  277 

to  the  Duke  d'Aler^on,  whom  he  found  greatly  agitated, 
and  pacing  hastily  up  and  down  his  chamber. 

The  prince  started  when  he  saw  him. 

"  Yes,"  said  Henry,  to  him,  taking  both  his  hands,  "  yes, 
I  understand,  my  good  brother,  you  are  angry  with  me, 
because  I  was  the  first  to  call  the  king's  attention  to  the 
fact  of  your  ball  having  struck  his  horse's  leg  instead  of 
the  boar,  as  was  your  aim.  But  I  could  not  repress  an  ex- 
clamation, and  besides,  the  king  had  perceived  it." 

"Doubtless,  doubtless  I"  muttered  D'Alengon  ;  "yet I 
cannot  but  attribute  to  a  bad  intention  your  pointing  out 
this  fact,  which  yon  must  have  seen  has  made  my  brother 
Charles  suspicious  of  my  purpose,  and  thiown  a  cloud  be- 
tween us." 

"  We  will  talk  of  this  anon  ;  and  as  to  my  good  or  bad 
intention,  I  have  come  now  to  make  you  a  judge  of  that." 

"  Humph,"  said  D'Alenqon. 

"  My  brother,  your  interests  are  too  dear  to  me  to  allow 
me  to  keep  from  you  that  the  Huguenots  have  made  me 
certain  proposals " 

"  Proposals  ?  what  sort  of  proposals  ?" 

"  One  of  the  leaders,  M.  de  Mouy  de  Saint- Phale,  and 
son  of  the  brave  De  Mouy  assassinated  by  Maurevel,  has 
been  with  me  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  to  prove  to  me  tliat  I 
was  in  captivity." 

"Ah,  indeed,  and  what  reply  did  you  make  ?" 

"  My  brother,  you  know  how  tenderly  I  love  Charles, 
who  saved  my  life  ;  and  that  the  queen-mother  has  been  a 
mother  to  me.  I  have  therefore  refused,  all  the  offers  he 
made  me." 

*'  And  what  were  these  offers  ?  " 

"  The  Huguenots  wished  to  reconstitute  the  throne  of 
Navarre  ;  and  as  in  reality  this  throne  belonged  to  me  by 
inheritance,  they  offered  it  to  me." 

"  Yes,  and  M.  de  Mouy,  instead  of  the  adhesion  he  had 
entreated,  received  your  refusal  ?  " 

"  Most  decidedly  ;  but  since "  continued  Henry. 

"  You  have  repented,  my  brother  ?  "  interrupted  D'Alen- 


278  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  No ;  but  I  have  found  that  M.  de  Mouy,  enraged  at 
my  refusal,  has  cast  his  eyes  in  another  direction." 

"  Whither  ?  "  asked  Fra^ois,  quickly. 

"  I  do  not  know  ;  on  the  Prince  de  Cond6,  perchance." 

"Very  probably/'  was  the  reply. 

<e  I  have,  however,  a  certain  means  of  ascertaining  the 
chief  he  has  selected." 

Frai^ois  became  very  pale. 

"But,"  continued  Henry,  "the  Huguenots  are  divided 
amongst  themselves  ;  and  De  Mouy,  brave  and  loyal  as  he 
is,  represents  but  one  half  the  party.  Now,  the  other  half, 
•which  is  not  to  be  despised,  has  not  lost  all  hope  of  seeing 
on  the  throne  that  Henry  of  Navarre,  who,  after  having 
hesitated  in  the  first  instance,  may  have  reflected  after- 
wards." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?" 

"  I  have  daily  proofs  of  this.  The  troop  that  joined  us 
at  the  hunt — did  you  remark  the  men  who  composed  it  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  they  were  converted  gentlemen." 

"  The  chief  of  this  troop,  who  made  me  a  sign — did  you 
recognize  him  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  it  vas  the  Vicomte  de  Tnrenne." 

"  Did  you  understand  what  they  wished  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  they  proposed  to  you  to  fly." 

"  Then,"  said  Henry,  "  it  is  evident  that  there  is  a  second 
party  with  different  views  from  M.  de  Mony,  and  that 
a  very  powerful  one ;  so  that,  in  order  to  succeed,  it  is 
requisite  to  unite  the  two  parties,  Turenne  and  De  Mouy. 
The  conspiracy  strengthens — troops  are  ready — they  but 
await  the  signal — and  between  my  two  resolutions  I  waver ; 
and  have,  therefore,  come  to  submit  them  to  you  as  a 
friend." 

"  Say  rather  as  a  brother  !  " 

"  First,  let  me  expose  the  state  of  my  mind,  my  dear 
Fran9ois  :  no  desire,  nc  ambition,  no  capacity.  I  am  a 
good  sort  of  country  gentleman — poor,  indolent,  and  timid  ; 
the  idea  of  conspirator  presents  to  me  a  chance  of  disgrace, 
badly  compensated  by  even  the  assured  perspective  of  a 
crown." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  279 

"Ah,  my  brother!"  said  Frai^ois,  "you  are  wrong; 
"  nothing  can  be  more  pitiable  than  the  position  of  a  prince 
whose  fortune  is  limited  by  a  landmark,  or  by  some  indi- 
vidual in  the  career  of  honor.  I  cannot,  therefore,  credit 
what  you  say." 

"Yet  I  speak  only  the  truth,  my  brother,"  was  Henry's 
reply ;  "  and  if  I  could  believe  that  I  had  a  real  friend,  I 
would  resign  in  his  favor  all  the  power  which  the  party  at- 
tached to  me  would  confer  ;  but,"  he  added  with  a  sigh, 
"I  have  not  one." 

"Perhaps  you  are  mistaken." 

"  No,  ventre-saint-gris  !  "  cried  Henry.  "  Except  your- 
self, brother,  I  see  no  one  who  is  attached  to  me  ;  and 
then,  I  must  inform  my  brother  the  king  of  all  that  is 
going  on.  I  will  name  no  person — I  will  not  mention 
country,  nor  date  ;  but  I  will  prevent  the  catastrophe." 

"  Grand  Dieu  I "  exclaimed  D'Alencon,  who  could  not 
repress  his  alarm  ;  "  what  are  you  saying  ?  You,  the  sole 
hope  of  the  party  since  the  admiral's  death  ;  you,  a  con- 
verted Huguenot — scarce  converted,  as  it  would  seem — 
would  you  raise  the  knife  against  your  brothers  ?  Henry, 
Henry,  in  doing  that  you  will  hand  over  to  a  second  Saint 
Bartholomew  all  the  Calvinists  of  the  kingdom  I  Do  you 
know  that  Catherine  only  awaits  such  an  opportunity  to 
exterminate  all  the  survivors  ?  " 

And  the  trembling  duke,  his  face  marked  with  red  and 
livid  spots,  pressed  Henry's  hand,  in  his  eagerness  to  make 
him  promise  to  renounce  a  resolution  which  must  destroy 
him. 

"What  !"  said  Henry,  with  an  air  of  much  surprise, 
"  do  you  think,  Franqois,  that  so  many  misfortunes  must 
then  occur  ?  Yet  it  seems  to  me  that,  with  the  king's 
guarantee,  I  could  save  the  imprudent  partisans." 

"The  guarantee  of  King  Charles  the  Ninth,  Henry? 
Did  not  the  admiral  have  it  ?  Teligny  ?  yourself  ?  Ah, 
Henry  !  I  tell  you,  if  you  do  this,  you  destroy  them  all ; 
not  only  them,  but  also  all  directly  or  indirectly  connected 
with  them." 

Henry  appeared  to  reflect  for  a  moment : 


280  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  If,"  he  said,  "  I  were  an  important  prince  at  court,  I 
should  act  otherwise  ;  in  your  place,  for  instance,  Franyois, 
a  son  of  France,  and  probable  heir  to  the  throne." 

Fran9ois  shook  his  head  skeptically,  and  said,  "  What 
would  you  do  in  my  place  ?  " 

"  In  your  place,  my  brother,"  replied  Henry,  "  I  should 
put  myself  at  the  head  of  this  movement.  My  name  and 
credit  would  answer  to  my  conscience  for  the  life  of  the 
seditious  ;  and  I  would  derive  from  it  something  useful 
for  myself,  in  the  first  instance,  and  then  for  the  king  ; 
and  this  from  an  enterprise  which  otherwise  may  terminate 
in  great  mischief  for  France." 

D'Alen9on  listened  to  these  words  with  a  joy  which  ex- 
panded all  the  muscles  of  his  face,  and  replied  : 

"  Do  you  think  this  practicable,  and  will  avoid  all  those 
evils  which  you  foresee  ?  " 

"  I  do/'  said  Henry.  "The  Huguenots  like  you  •  your 
modest  exterior,  your  situation,  elevated  and  interesting 
at  the  same  time,  and  the  kindness  you  have  always  evinced 
to  those  of  the  Reformed  faith,  induce  them  to  serve  you." 

"  But,"  said  D'Alen9on,  "  there  is  a  schism  in  the  party  : 
will  those  who  are  for  you  be  for  me  ?  " 

"  I  will  undertake  to  conciliate  them,  on  two  grounds.  * 

"  What  are  they  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  through  the  confidence  which  the 
chiefs  have  in  me ;  then  from  their  fear  when  your  high- 
ness, knowing  their  names But  without  further  per- 
suasion, my  brother,  take  up  this  matter.  Eeign  in  Na- 
varre ;  and  so  that  you  keep  for  me  a  place  at  your  table 
and  a  good  forest  for  hunting,  I  shall  be  perfectly  happy/* 

"  Reign  in  Navarre  !  "  said  the  duke  ;  "  but  if " 

"  If  the  Duke  d'Anjou  is  named  King  of  Poland  ? — you 
would  say." 

FranQois  cast  a  look  of  terror  on  Henry. 

"  If  the  Duke  d'Anjou  is  nominated  King  of  Poland, 
and  our  brother  Charles  (whom  God  preserve  !)  should 
die,  it  is  but  two  hundred  leagues  from  Pan  to  Paris, 
whilst  it  is  four  hundred  from  Paris  to  Cracow  ;  and  you 
would  be  here  to  claim  the  inheritance  at  the  moment 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  .  281 

when  the  King  of  Poland  would  only  have  learned  of  its 
being  vacated.  Then,  if  you  are  satisfied  with  me,  Fran- 
gois,  you  may  give  me  this  kingdom  of  Navarre,  which 
will  then  be  only  one  of  the  offshoots  of  your  crown. 
Under  these  circumstances  I  would  accept  it.  The  worst 
that  can  arrive  is,  to  remain  king  there,  and  live  en  familU 
with  me  and  my  wife  ;  whilst  here,  what  are  you  ?— a 
poor,  persecuted  prince,  a  poor  third  son  of  the  king,  a 
slave  of  two  elder  brothers,  whom  a  caprice  may  send  to 
the  Bastille." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Frangois  :  "  I  feel  all  this  so  well,  that 
I  cannot  understand  how  you  renounce  all  the  hopes  that 
you  propose  for  me." 

"There  are,"  said  Henry,  with  a  smile,  "burdens  too 
heavy  for  certain  hands.  I  shall  not  try  to  lift  this 
one." 

"  Then,  Henry,  you  really  renounce  ?" 

"  I  said  so  to  De  Mouy,  and  I  repeat  it  to  you." 

"  But  in  such  cases,  brother,"  said  D'Alengon,  "  men 
do  not  say,  they  prove." 

"  I  will  prove  it  this  evening,"  was  the  reply  ;  '•  at  nine 
o'clock,  the  list  of  the  chiefs  and  the  plan  of  the  enterprise 
shall  be  in  your  hands." 

Frangois  took  Henry's  hand,  and  pressed  it  with  fervor. 

At  the  same  moment,  Catherine  entered  the  apartment, 
and,  as  usual,  without  being  announced. 

"Together,"  she  said,  with  a  smile,  "like  two  loving 
brothers." 

"I  hope  so,  madame," replied  Henry,  with  the  utmost 
composure,  whilst  the  Duke  d'Alengon  turned  pale  with 
agony. 

The  queen-mother  then  took  from  her  gypsire  a  magnifi- 
cent jewel,  and  said  to  Frangois  (from  whom  Henry  had 
receded  several  paces),  "  This  clasp  comes  from  Florence, 
and  I  give  it  you  to  fasten  your  sword  ; "  then  she  added, 
in  a  low  voice  :  "  If  you  should  hear  any  noise  this  eve- 
ning in  the  apartment  of  your  good  brother  Henry, 
do  not  heed  it." 

Frangois  grasped  his  mother's  hand,  and  said  :  "  Will 


282         *  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

you  allow  me  to  show  him  the  handsome  present  you  have 
just  made  me  ?  " 

"  Do  still  better  ;  give  it  to  him  in  your  own  and  my 
name,  for  I  had  ordered  a  second  for  that  purpose." 

"Do  you  hear,  Henry?"  said  Frangois  ;  "my  good 
mother  brings  me  this  jewel,  and  redoubles  its  value  by 
allowing  me  to  offer  it  to  you." 

Henry  went  into  rapture  sat  the  beauty  of  the  jewel, 
and  was  profuse  in  his  thanks. 

"  My  son/'  said  Catherine,  "  I  do  not  feel  well,  and  am 
going  to  bed.  Your  brother  Charles  is  much  shaken  by 
his  fall,  and  wishes  to  do  the  same  thing.  We  shall  not, 
therefore,  all  sup  together. — Ah,  Henry  !  I  forgot  to  com- 
pliment you  on  your  courage  and  skill :  you  have  saved 
your  king  and  brother,  and  you  must  be  recompensed  for 
such  high  service." 

"I  am  recompensed  already,"  replied  Henry,  with  a 
bow. 

"  By  the  feeling  that  you  have  done  your  duty  ?  "  was 
Catherine's  reply  ;  "  but  that  is  not  enough  for  Charles 
and  myself,  and  we  must  devise  some  means  of  requiting 
our  obligations  towards  you." 

"All  that  may  come  from  you  and  my  good  brother 
must  be  welcome,  madame,"  was  Henry's  reply  ;  and, 
bowing,  he  left  the  apartment. 

"  Ah,  my  worthy  brother  Frangois  !  "  thought  Henry, 
as  he  went  out ;  "no,  I  am  sure  not  to  go  away  alone  ; 
and  the  conspiracy,  which  had  a  heart,  has  now  found  a 
head,  and  what  is  still  better,  this  head  is  responsible  to 
me  for  my  own  :  only  let  us  be  on  our  guard.  Catherine 
has  made  me  a  present — Catherine  promises  me  a  recom- 
pense ;  there  is  some  devilry  or  other,  then,  brewing,  and 
I  will  have  a  conversation  this  evening  with  Marguerite." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  283 

CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

THE  GRATITUDE  OF  KING  CHARLES  THE  NINTH. 

MAUREVEL  had  remained  for  a  portion  of  the  day  in  the 
king's  armory  ;  and  when  Catherine  saw  the  moment 
approach  of  the  return  from  the  chase,  she  had  desired 
him  and  his  satellites  to  pass  into  her  oratory. 

Charles  IX.,  informed  by  his  nurse,  on  his  arrival,  who 
the  man  was,  and  remembering  the  order  his  mother  had 
extracted  from  him  in  the  morning,  understood  every- 
thing. 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  he  murmured,  "  the  time  is  ill-chosen,  on 
the  very  day  on  which  he  has  saved  my  life." 

And  he  was  about  to  go  to  his  mother,  but  suddenly 
changed  his  intention. 

"  Mordieu ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  if  I  speak  to  her  of  it, 
what  a  discussion  will  ensue  !  We  had  better  act  each  for 
one's  self. — Nurse,"  he  continued,  "  shut  all  the  doors, 
and  inform  the  Queen  Elizabeth  "  (Charles  IX.  was  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  of  Austria,  daughter  of  Maximilian), 
"  that,  being  rather  unwell  from  my  fall,  I  shall  sleep  in 
my  own  apartment  to-night." 

The  nurse  obeyed  ;  and  as  the  hour  for  his  plan  had  not 
arrived,  Charles  began  to  write  verses.  It  was  the  occu- 
pation in  which  he  most  delighted  :  and  thus  nine  o'clock 
struck,  when  Charles  thought  it  was  only  seven.  He 
counted  the  strokes  one  after  the  other,  and  at  the  last  he 
rose  :  "  Nom  d'un  didble!  "  he  exclaimed,  "  it  is  precisely 
the  time." 

Taking  his  cloak  and  hat,  he  went  out  by  a  secret  door 
which  he  had  made  in  the  paneling,  and  of  the  existence 
of  which  Catherine  herself  was  ignorant. 

Charles  went  straight  to  Henry's  apartment.  Henry 
had  only  gone  thither  to  change  his  dress,  when  he  left 
the  Duke  d'Alenc,on,  and  had  then  left  it  instantly. 

DUMAS— YOL.  III.— 13 


284  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  He  mnst  have  gone  to  sup  with  Marguerite,"  said  the 
king  to  himself  ;  "  he  was  on  the  befit  possible  terms  with 
her  ;  at  least,  it  appeared  so  to  me  ;  "  and  he  went  towards 
Marguerite's  apartment. 

Marguerite  had  invited  to  her  rooms  the  Duchess  de 
Nevers,  Coconnas,  and  La  Mole,  and  they  were  enjoying 
a  repast  of  pastry  and  sweetmeats. 

Charles  knocked  at  the  door  :  Gillonne  went  to  open  it, 
and  was  so  frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  king,  that  she 
could  scarcely  curtsey  to  him ;  and  instead  of  running  to 
inform  her  mistress  of  the  august  visit  which  was  paid 
her,  she  allowed  Charles  to  pass  her  without  any  other 
signal  than  the  cry  she  had  uttered. 

The  king  crossed  the  antechamber,  and,  guided  by  the 
shouts  and  laughter,  advanced  towards  the  dining-room. 

"  Poor  Harry  ! "  he  ejaculated,  "  he  is  making  merry, 
quite  unconscious  of  his  danger." 

"  Tis  I ! "  he  said,  aloud,  and  raising  the  tapestry,  pre- 
sented his  face,  which  was  all  smiling. 

Marguerite  uttered  a  terrible  cry.  All  joyous  as  was 
the  king's  face,  it  produced  on  her  the  effect  of  a  Medusa's 
head.  She  had  recognized  Charles. 

The  two  men  had  their  backs  turned  to  the  king. 

"  His  majesty  ! "  she  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  affright, 
and  she  rose  from  her  seat. 

Coconnas,  whilst  the  three  others  felt  quite  bewildered, 
was  the  only  one  who  preserved  his  presence  of  mind. 
He  also  rose,  but  with  well-contrived  awkwardness,  upset 
the  table,  with  its  glass,  plates,  and  wax  lights  ;  and  in  a 
moment  there  was  complete  darkne'ss,  and  the  silence  of 
death. 

"  Steal  off  !  "  said  Coconnas  to  La  Mole  ;  "  quick — quick, 
and  cleverly." 

La  Mole  did  not  wait  for  a  second  hint,  but  feeling 
along  the  wall  with  his  hands,  groped  his  way  into  the 
bedchamber,  that  he  might  hide  in  the  closet  he  knew  so 
well. 

But  as  he  entered  the  sleeping  room,  he  came  in  con- 
tact with  a  man  who  entered  by  the  secret  passage. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  285 

•'  What  can  all  this  mean  ?  "  said  Charles,  in  the  dark, 
with  a  voice  that  was  beginning  to  sound  very  impatiently  ; 
"  am  I  an  intruder,  that  on  my  appearance  such  a  scene 
of  confusion  takes  place.  Harry — Harry  !  where  are  you  ? 
— answer  me  !  " 

"  We  are  saved  !  "  whispered  Marguerite,  taking  a  hand 
which  she  supposed  to  be  that  of  Coconnas  ;  "  the  king 
thinks  that  my  husband  is  one  of  the  guests." 

"  And  he  shall  think  so  still,  madame,  be  assured,"  said 
Henry  himself  to  the  queen,  in  the  same  tone. 

"  Grand  Dieu  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  suddenly  quit- 
ting her  grasp  of  the  hand  she  held. 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Henry. 

"  In  the  name  of  ten  thousand  devils  !  what  are  you  all 
whispering  for  ?  "  cried  Charles.  "  Henry,  answer — 
where  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  here,  sire,"  said  the  voice  of  the  King  of 
Navarre. 

"  The  devil  !  "  said  Coconnas  ;  "  the  plot  thickens." 

"And  we  are  doubly  lost,"  added  the  Duchess  de 
Nevers. 

Coconnas,  brave  even  to  rashness,  had  reflected  that  at 
last  the  candles  must  be  lighted,  and  thinking  the  sooner 
the  better,  left  the  hand  of  the  Duchess  de  Nevers,  which 
he  had  hitherto  held  in  his  own,  picked  up  a  taper,  and 
going  to  the  stove,  lighted  it. 

The  room  was  thus  again  illuminated,  and  Charles  cast 
an  inquiring  glance  around. 

Henry  was  close  to  his  wife ;  the  Duchess  de  Nevers 
was  alone  in  a  corner ;  and  Coconnas,  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  chamber  with  his  candle  in  his  hand,  lighted 
up  the  whole  scene. 

"Excuse  us,  brother,"  said  Marguerite;  "we  did  not 
expect  you." 

'•  And  so  your  majesty,  as  you  may  see,  has  frightened  ns 
not  a  little,"  said  Henriette. 

"For  my  part,"  added  Henry,  who  at  once  compre- 
hended the  whole,  "  I  was  so  startled  that  I  upset  the 
table." 


286  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Coconnas  gave  the  King  of  Navarre  a  look  which  im- 
plied : 

"  I  like  that  ! — here's  a  husband  who  knows  what  he  is 
about." 

"What  a  complete  upset,"  said  Charles.  "Harry, 
your  supper  is  regularly  spoiled  so  come  with  me,  and 
yon  shall  finish  it  elsewhere.  I  mean  to  carry  you  off  this 
evening." 

"  What,  sire  !  "  said  Henry  ;  "your  majesty  will  do  me 
that  honor  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  majesty  will  do  you  the  honor  to  take  you 
from  the  Louvre.  Lend  him  to  me,  Marguerite,  and  I 
will  bring  him  back  again  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Ah,  brother,"-  replied  Marguerite,  "  you  have  no  need 
of  my  permission  for  that ;  you  are  master  here,  as  every- 
where else." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  I  will  just  go  for  another  cloak, 
and  return  immediately." 

"  There's  no  occasion  ;  the  one  you  have  on  is  quite 
good  enough." 

"  But,  sire,"  began  the  Bearnais. 

"  I  tell  you  not  to  return  to  your  apartments,  mille  noms 
d'un  d'iable  !  don't  you  hear  what  I  say  ?  Come  along  !  " 

"Yes — yes,  go!"  said  Marguerite,  pressing  her  hus- 
band's arm,  for  a  singular  look  of  Charles's  had  convinced 
her  that  something  remarkable  was  going  on. 

"  I  am  ready,  sire,"  said  Henry. 

But  Charles  was  looking  very  steadfastly  at  Coconnas, 
who  continued  his  office  of  torch-bearer,  by  lighting  the 
other  candles. 

"  Who  is  this  gentleman  ?  "  he  inquired  of  Henry,  still 
gazing  on  the  Piedmontese  ;  "  is  it  M.  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Who  has  mentioned  M.  de  la  Mole  to  him  ?  "  thought 
Marguerite. 

"  No,  sire,"  replied  Henry  ;  "  M.  de  la  Mole  is  not  here, 
and  I  regret  it  the  more,  as  I  cannot  have  the  honor  of 
presenting  him  to  your  majesty  as  well  as  his  friend,  M.  de 
Coconnas  :  they  are  inseparables,  and  are  both  in  the  suite 
of  M.  d'Alen9on." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  287 

ff  Ah  T  ah  !  of  our  famous  marksman  ! "  said  Charles  ; 
then  frowning,  he  added,  "  Is  not  M.  de  la  Mole  a  Hugue- 
not ?  " 

"  Converted,  sire,"  said  Henry  ;  "  and  I  answer  for  him 
as  for  myself." 

"  When  you  answer  for  any  one,  Harry,  after  what  you 
have  done  to-day,  I  have  no  right  to  doubt  you.  But  no 
matter.  I  should  have  liked  to  see  M.  de  la  Mole,  but 
some  other  time  will  do  ; "  and  then,  looking  again  around 
the  chamber,  Charles  kissed  Marguerite,  and  took  away 
the  King  of  Navarre,  holding  him  by  the  arm. 

At  the  gate  of  the  Louvre,  Henry  stopped  to  speak  to 
some  one. 

"  Come,  come  along  quickly,  Harry/'  said  Charles. 
"  When  I  tell  you  the  air  of  the  Louvre  is  not  good  for 
you  this  evening,  why  the  devil  don't  you  believe  me  ?  " 

"  Ventre-saint-gris  !  "  murmured  Henry,  "  and  De  Mouy 
will  be  all  alone  in  my  room  ;  if  the  air  is  not  good  forme, 
it  must  be  worse  for  him." 

They  ciossed  the  drawbridge,  and  the  king  giving  a  pe- 
culiar whistle,  four  gentlemen  who  were  waiting  in  the 
Eue  de  Beauvais  joined  them,  and  they  all  advanced  into 
the  city. 

The  clock  struck  ten. 

"Well  !"  said  Marguerite,  when  the  King  and  Henry 
had  gone,  "let  us  sit  down  again  to  table." 

"No,  ma  foi!"  said  the  duchess;  "I  am  too  much 
frightened.  The  little  house  in  the  Eue  Cloche-Percee 
forever  !  No  one  can  enter  there  without  laying  a  regular 
siege,  and  our  brave  friends  could  use  their  swords." 

Coconnas  went  to  the  cabinet. 

"  Well  ! "  said  a  voice  in  the  darkness,  ' '  what  has  hap- 
pened ?  " 

" Eh,  mordi!  we  are  now  at  the  dessert." 

"  And  the  King  of  Navarre  ?" 

"Has  seen  nothing."  ' 

"And  King  Charles?" 

"  Ah  !  the  king  has  taken  off  the  husband." 

"  No,  really  1 " 


288  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  and  the  ladies  have  a  pilgrimage  to  make  towards 
the  Rue  du  Roi-de-Sicile,  and  we  must  guard  the  pilgrims." 

"  Impossible  !  you  know  that " 

"  Why  impossible  ?  " 

"Why,  are  we  not  in  the  service  of  his  royal  highness  ?" 

The  two  friends  represented  their  position  to  their  fair 
friends  and  Madame  de  Nevers  said  : 

"  Well,  then,  we  will  go  without  you." 

The  two  young  men  made  their  bows,  and  proceeded  to 
the  Duke  d'Alenqon,  who  seemed  to  be  awaiting  them. 

"  You  are  rather  late,  gentlemen,"  was  his  remark. 

"  Scarcely  ten  o'clock,  monseigneur,"  replied  Coconnas. 

The  duke  looked  at  his  watch. 

"  True,  but  yet  everybody  in  the  Louvre  is  in  bed." 

"Monseigneur,"  said  Coconnas,  "your  highness,  no 
doubt,  will  go  to  bed,  or  write " 

"No,  gentlemen,  lean  dispense  with  your  services  until 
to-morrow  morning." 

The  two  young  men  ran  up-stairs  as  speedily  as  possible, 
took  their  cloaks  and  night-swords,  and  hastening  out  of 
the  Louvre,  overtook  the  two  ladies  at  the  corner  of  the 
Hue  du  Coq-Saint-Hojuore. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

MAN"  PROPOSES,  BUT  GOD  DISPOSES. 

As  the  duke  said,  everything  was  silent  at  the  Louvre. 

Marguerite  and  Madame  de  Nevers  had  gone  to  the  Rue 
Cloche-Percee  ;  Cocounas  and  La  Mole  had  followed  them  ; 
the  king  and  Henry  were  roving  about  in  the  city  ;  the 
Duke  d'Alengon  was  anxiously  watching  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  events  his  mother  had  alluded  to,  and  Cather- 
ine was  in  bed,  listening  to  Madame  de  Sauve,  who  read 
to  her  certain  Italian  tales,  at  which  the  worthy  queen 
laughed  heartily. 

"  Let  me  know,"  said  Catherine,  "  if  my  daughter,  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  289 

Queen  of  Navarre,  is  in  her  apartments,  and  if  she  is,  beg 
her  to  come  and  keep  me  company." 

The  page  to  whom  this  order  was  addressed  left  the 
room,  and  soon  returned,  accompanied  by  Gillonne. 

"  I  sent  for  the  queen,"  said  Catherine,  "not  for  her 
attendant." 

"  Madame,"  replied  Gillonne,  "  I  thought  it  my  duty 
to  come  myself,  to  inform  your  majesty  that  the  Queen 
of  Navarre  is  gone  out  with  the  Duchess  de  Nevers." 

"  Out  at  this  hour  ! "  said  Catherine,  frowning  ;  "  where 
is  she  gone  ?  " 

"To  a  meeting  of  alchemists,  at  the  H6tel  de  Guise,  in 
the  apartments  of  Madame  de  Nevers." 

"  And  when  will  she  return  ?  " 

•'  The  meeting  will  not  break  up  until  very  late,"  replied 
Gillonne,  "  so  that  it  is  probable  her  majesty  will  sleep  at 
the  Hotel  de  Guise." 

"She  is  very  happy,"  murmured  Catherine  ;  "she  has 
friends,  and  is  a  queen  ;  she  wears  a  crown,  and  is  called 
your  majesty,  and  she  has  no  subjects." 

Gillonne  made  her  curtsey,  and  left  the  room. 

"  Go  on,  Charlotte,"  said  the  queen. 

Madame  de  Sauve  obeyed. 

In  ten  minutes  Catherine  stopped  her. 

"  Oh,  by  the  way,"  said  she,  "  dismiss  the  guards  in  the 
gallery." 

This  was  the  signal  agreed  upon  with  Maurevel. 

The  order  was  executed,  and  Madame  de  Sauve  con- 
tinued. 

She  had  read  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  a  long  and 
piercing  cry  was  heard,  that  made  the  hair  of  all  in  the 
chamber  stand  on  end. 

A  pistol-shot  followed. 

"  Well,"  said  Catherine,  "  why  do  you  not  go  on  read- 
ing?" 

"  Madame,"  replied  Charlotte,  turning  deadly  pale ; 
"did  not  your  majesty  hear  ?  " 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Catherine, 

"  That  cry !  " 
19 


290  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  And  that  pistol-shot  ? "  added  the  captain  of  the 
guards. 

"  A  cry  and  a  pistol-shot ! "  said  Catherine,  "  I  heard 
them  not ;  besides,  a  cry  and  a  pistol-shot  are  nothing  so 
very  extraordinary  at  the  Louvre.  Read  on,  Carlotta." 

"But  listen,  madame,"  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  whilst 
M.  de  Nancey  stood  grasping  his  sword-hilt,  not  daring  to 
leave  the  apartment  withont  the  queen's  permission.,"! 
hear  struggling,  imprecations " 

"  Shall  I  go  and  see,  madame  ?"  asked  De  Nancey. 

"  No,  sir,"  returned  Catherine.  "  Who  will  be  here  to 
protect  me  in  case  of  danger  ?  It  is  only  some  drunken 
Swiss  quarreling." 

The  tranquillity  of  the  queen  contrasted  so  strangely 
with  the  alarm  of  every  one  else,  that  Madame  de  Sauve, 
timid  as  she  was,  fixed  her  eyes  inquiringly  on  her. 

"  But,  madame,"  said  she,  "it  is  as  if  they  were  killing 
some  one." 

"  Whom  do  you  think  they  are  killing  ?  " 

"  The  King  of  Navarre,  madame  ;  for  the  noise  comes 
from  his  apartments." 

"  The  fool  ! "  murmured  the  queen,  whose  lips,  spite  of 
the  control  she  had  over  herself,  were  strangely  agitated, 
for  she  was  muttering  a  prayer  ;  "  the  fool  i  she  sees  her 
King  of  Navarre  everywhere." 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  mon  Dieu  !  "  said  Madame  de  Sauve,  sink- 
ing into  her  chair. 

"It  is  over,"  said  Catherine.  "Captain/'  continued 
she,  addressing  M.  de  Nancey,  "  I  hope  that  to-morrow 
you  will  inquire  into  this,  and  punish  the  culprits  severely. 
Continue,  Carlotta." 

And  Catherine  sank  back  on  her  pillow  in  a  state  that 
seemed  near  akin  to  fainting,  for  her  attendants  remarked 
large  drops  of  perspiration  on  her  face. 

Madame  de  Sauve  obeyed,  but  her  eyes  and  her  voice 
alone  were  engaged.  She  fancied  she  saw  him  most  dear 
to  her,  surrounded  by  deadly  perils,  and  after  a  mental 
struggle  of  some  minutes,  her  voice  failed  her,  the  book 
fell  from  her  hands,  and  she  fainted. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  291 

Suddenly  a  still  more  violent  noise  than  before  was 
heard,  a  hasty  step  shook  the  corridor,  two  more  pistol- 
shots  made  the  window-panes  shake.  Catherine,  astonished 
at  this  renewal  of  the  strife,  rose  ;  she  was  deadly  pale,  her 
eyes  were  dilated,  and  at  the  moment  De  Nancey  was  about 
to  rush  from  the  apartment,  she  seized  his  arm,  saying  : 

"  Let  every  one  stay  here ;  I  will  go  myself  and  see 
what  is  the  matter." 

Thus  it  was  :  De  Mouy  had  received  that  morning,  from 
the  hands  of  Orthon,  the  key  of  Henry's  chamber ;  in  the 
key  he  remarked  a  small  roll  of  paper,  which  he  took  out 
and  found  it  to  contain  the  pass-word  at  the  Louvre  for 
the  night. 

Orthon  had,  moreover,  given  him  the  king's  directions 
to  be  at  the  Louvre  at  ten  o'clock. 

At  half-past  nine,  De  Mouy  put  on  his  armor,  but- 
toned a  silken  doublet  on  it,  buckled  over  his  sword,  placed 
his  pistols  in  his  belt,  and  covered  all  with  the  famous 
cherry  mantle. 

We  have  seen  how  Henry  thought  fit  to  pay  Marguerite 
a  visit  before  entering  his  own  apartments,  and  how  he 
arrived  by  the  secret  passage  just  in  time  to  run  against 
La  Mole  in  Marguerite's  chamber,  and  to  take  his  place 
in  the  supper-room.  Precisely  at  this  moment,  De  Mouy 
passed  the  wicket  of  the  Louvre,  and,  thanks  to  the  pass- 
word and  the  cherry  mantle,  entered  the  palace  without 
obstacle. 

He  went  straight  to  the  King  of  Navarre's  apartments, 
imitating,  as  well  as  he  could,  La  Mole's  walk  and  manner. 
He  found  Orthon  waiting  for  him  in  the  antechamber. 

"  Sire  de  Mouy,"  said  the  mountaineer,  "  the  king  has 
gone  out,  but  he  has  ordered  me  to  conduct  you  to  his 
chamber,  where  you  are  to  wait ;  should  he  not  come  un- 
til late,  he  desires  you  will  lie  down  on  his  bed." 

De  Mouy  entered,  without  asking  further  explanation. 

In  order  to  fill  up  the  time,  De  Mouy  took  pen  and  pa- 
per, and  approaching  an  excellent  map  of  France  that 
hung  on  the  wall,  set  himself  to  count  the  stages  from 
Paris  to  Pau. 


292  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

This  did  not  occupy  him  long,  and  when  he  had  finished 
he  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 

He  walked  np  and  down  the  room  a  few  times,  yawned, 
and  then,  profiting  by  Henry's  invitation,  and  by  the 
familiarity  that  then  existed  between  princes  and  their 
gentlemen,  placed  his  pistols  and  the  lamp  on  the  table, 
laid  his  drawn  sword  by  his  side,  and  secure  against  sur- 
prise, for  an  attendant  was  watching  in  the  outer  cham- 
ber, soon  slept  soundly. 

It  was  then  that  six  men,  sword  and  dagger  in  hand, 
glided  noiselessly  along  the  corridor  that  communicated 
with  Henry's  apartments. 

One  of  these  men  walked  in  front ;  besides  his  sword 
and  dagger,  he  had  pistols  attached  to  his  belt  by  silver 
hooks.  This  man  was  Maurevel.  Arrived  at  Henry's 
door,  he  stopped. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  all  the  sentinels  are  gone  ?  "  asked 
he. 

"  There  is  not  one  left,"  replied  his  lieutenant. 

"Good,"  said  Maurevel  ;  "now  let  us  see  whether  he 
we  come  for  is  here." 

"  Poor  devil  of  a  king  ! "  said  one  of  the  men  ;  "  it 
was  written  on  high  he  should  not  escape." 

"  And  here  also,"  said  Maurevel,  pointing  to  the  order 
in  his  girdle. 

Maurevel  placed  the  key  Catherine  had  given  him  in 
the  lock,  and  leaving  two  men  at  the  door,  passed  with 
the  others  into  the  antechamber. 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  hearing,  even  from  that  distance,  the 
loud  breathing  of  the  sleeper ;  "  it  seems  we  have  got 
him  ! » 

Orthon,  thinking  it  was  his  master,  advanced  and  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  five  armed  men.  At  t^he  sight 
of  their  sinister  faces,  and  more  particularly  at  that  of 
Maurevel,  he  recoiled,  and  planted  himself  before  the 
second  door. 

"  Who  are  you?"  said  Orthon;  "  and  what  do  you  want?  " 

"  In  the  king's  name,"  said  Maurevel,  "  where  is  your 
master?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  293 

"  He  is  absent. " 

"  'Tis  false  ! "  replied  Maurevel.      "  Stand  back  ! " 

Orthon  seized  the  handle  of  the  door. 

"  You  shall  not  enter  ! "  cried  he. 

At  a  sign  from  Maurevel,  the  four  men  grasped  the 
faithful  page,  tore  him  from  his  hold,  and  as  he  was  about 
to  cry  out,  Maurevel  placed  his  hand  on  his  mouth.  Or- 
thon bit  the  assassin  furiously,  who  uttered  a  suppressed 
cry  and  struck  him  on  the  head  with  the  pommel  of  his 
sword.  Orthon  fell,  crying,  "  Treason  !  treason  ! " 

His  voice  failed  him,  and  he  fainted. 

The  assassins  passed  over  his  body  :  two  stationed  them- 
selves at  the  second  door,  and  the  three  others,  led  by 
Maurevel,  entered  the  bed-chamber. 

By  the  light  of  the  lamp  they  saw  the  bed  :  the  curtains 
were  closed.  "  Oh,"  said  the  lieutenant,  "  he  snores  no 
longer  ! " 

"  Now,  then — upon  him  ! "  replied  Maurevel. 

At  this  voice,  a  hoarse  cry,  more  like  the  roar  of  a  lion 
than  the  voice  of  a  human  being,  was  heard,  the  curtains 
were  violently  drawn  back,  and  a  man  in  a  cuirass  and 
steel  cap  appeared  sitting  on  the  bed,  a  pistol  in  each 
hand,  and  his  drawn  sword  on  his  knees.  At  this  sight, 
Manrevel's  hair  stood  on  end  ;  he  turned  deadly  pale,  and 
recoiled  as  if  he  had  seen  a  specter. 

Suddenly,  the  armed  figure  rose  and  advanced  towards 
Maurevel,  as  he  retreated,  so  that  it  was  he  who  seemed 
to  fly,  and  De  Mouy  who  seemed  to  pursue. 

"  Ah,  scoundrel  !  "  said  De  Mouy  ;  "  you  are  come  to 
murder  me,  as  you  murdered  my  father  ! " 

The  two  guards  who  were  with  Maurevel  alone  heard 
these  terrible  words  ;  but  as  they  were  uttered,  one  of  De 
Mouy's  pistols  was  leveled  at  Maurevel's  head.  The  ruf- 
fian sank  on  his  knees  at  the  instant  De  Mony  pulled  the 
trigger,  and  one  of  the  guards,  whom  he  uncovered  by 
this  movement,  fell  with  a  bullet  in  his  heart  ;  Maurevel 
instantly  fired  in  return,  but  the  ball  glanced  off  De  Mouy's 
cuirass. 

Then,  measuring  the  distance  and  calculating  his  spring, 


294  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

De  Mouy,  with  a  back  stroke  of  his  large  sword,  cleft  the 
skull  of  the  second  guard,  and  turning  to  Maurevel,  crossed 
weapons  with  him. 

The  combat  was  terrible,  but  brief  :  at  the  fourth  pass, 
Maurevel'felt  De  Mouy's  sword  in  his  throat  ;  he  uttered 
a  low  groan,  and  fell,  upsetting  the  lamp,  which  was  ex- 
tinguished in  the  fall. 

Agile  and  powerful  as  one  of  Homer's  heroes,  De  Mouy 
sprang  boldly  forward,  favored  by  the  obscurity,  into  the 
antechamber,  felled  one  of  the  guards  to  the  earth,  sent 
the  other  staggering  from  him,  passed  like  lightning  be- 
tween the  two  at  the  outer  door,  escaped  two  pistol-shots 
fired  at  him,  the  balls  of  which  grazed  the  corridor,  and 
was  then  safe,  for  besides  the  sword  with  which  he  dealt 
such  fearful  blows  he  had  a  loaded  pistol. 

He  hesitated  an  instant  whether  he  should  enter  D'Alen- 
9on's  apartments,  the  door  of  which  seemed  ajar,  or  escape 
from  the  Louvre  :  resolving  upon  the  latter  course,  he 
sprang  down  the  stairs,  arrived  at  the  wicket,  pronounced 
the  pass-word,  adding  :  "  Go  up-stairs  !  they  are  killing 
on  the  king's  account." 

And  availing  himself  of  the  stupefaction  produced  by  the 
report  of  the  pistols  and  his  own  words,  he  disappeared 
in  the  Rue  du  Coq,  without  having  received  a  scratch. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  Catherine  stopped  M.  de 
Nancey,  saying : 

"  Stay  here  ;  I  will  go  myself  and  see  what  is  the  matter." 

Then,  taking  a  lamp,  and  passing  her  naked  feet  into 
slippers,  Catherine  advanced,  pale  as  a  specter,  along  the 
corridor,  full  of  smoke,  towards  Henry's  apartments. 

All  was  silent. 

She  arrived  at  the  door,  entered,  and  found  Orthon 
senseless  on  the  threshold. 

"  Oh,"  said  she,  "  here  is  the  servant  ;  we  shall  soon 
find  the  master  :  "  and  she  approached  the  second  door. 

There  her  foot  struck  against  a  corpse  ;  she  turned  the 
lamp  upon  it  ;  it  was  the  guard  whose  skull  had  been 
cleft  :  he  was  quite  dead.  A  little  further  lay  the  lieu- 
tenant, with  the  death-rattle  in  his  throat. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  295 

Besides  the  bed  was  a  man  who,  pale  as  death,  was  bleed- 
ing fast  from  a  double  wound  in  his  throat,  and  who, 
clenching  his  hands  convulsively,  strove  to  raise  him- 
self. 

It  was  Maurevel. 

Catherine  shuddered  ;  she  saw  the  bed  deserted  ;  she 
eagerly  looked  around  the  room,  and  in  vain  sought  amongst 
the  three  corpses  for  the  one  she  so  earnestly  desired  to  be- 
hold. 

Maurevel  knew  Catherine,  and  stretched  out  his  hand 
towards  her  with  a  desperate  movement. 

"  Where  is  he  ?  "  said  she.  "  Have  you  let  him  es- 
cape ?  " 

Maurevel  strove  to  speak,  but  a  bloody  foam  covered  his 
lips,  and  he  could  only  feebty  shake  his  head. 

"  Speak  !  "  cried  the  queen  ;  "  speak,  if  it  be  but  one 
word  ! " 

Maurevel  pointed  to  his  wound,  and  after  a  desperate 
effort  to  utter  something,  fainted. 

She  looked  around  her .  there  were  none  but  the  dead 
and  the  dying  there  :  blood  flowed  in  every  direction,  and 
silence  reigned  in  the  chamber.  She  spoke  again  to 
Maurevel,  but  in  vain  ;  a  paper  was  in  his  girdle — it  was 
the  order  for  Henry's  arrest  ;  Catherine  seized  it,  and 
concealed  it  beneath  her  robe. 

At  this  instant  she  heard  a  slight  noise  behind  her,  and 
turning  round,  she  perceived  D'Alenc.on,  who  had  been 
drawn  thither  by  the  noise. 

' '  You  here,  Fra^ois  ?  "  said  she. 

"  Yes,  madame.  For  God's  sake,  what  does  this 
mean  ?  " 

"  Eetire  to  your    apartments  ;   you   will   know  soon 
enough." 

D'Alen9on,  however,  was  not  so  ignorant  of  what  had 
passed  as  Catherine  imagined.  Seeing  men  enter  the 
King  of  Navarre's  apartments,  he  guessed  what  was  to 
happen,  and  was  secretly  rejoiced  at  having  so  dangerous 
an  enemy  disposed  of  by  a  hand  more  powerful  than  his 
own. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Soon  the  noise  of  firearms  and  the  steps  of  a  fugitive 
attracted  his  attention,  and  he  saw  Red  Mantle  disappear. 

"  De  Mouy  !  "  cried  he  ;  "De  Mouy  with  my  brother- 
in-law,  or  can  it  be  La  Mole  ?  " 

He  began  to  feel  alarmed. 

Wishing  to  assure  himself,  he  ascended  to  his  apart- 
ment ;  no  one  was  there,  but  the  cherry-colored  mantle 
was  hanging  against  the  wall.  It  was,  then,  De  Mouy. 
Pale  as  death,  and  trembling  lest  De  Mouy  had  been  taken 
prisoner,  and  betrayed  the  secrets  of  the  conspiracy,  he 
rushed  to  the  wicket,  where  he  was  informed  De  Mouy 
had  passed,  saying  that  some  one  was  being  killed  on  the 
king's  account. 

"  He  was  mistaken,"  muttered  d'Alenc.on  ;  "  it  is  on 
the  queen-mother's  account." 

And  returning  to  the  scene  of  combat,  he  found  Cath- 
erine prowling  like  a  hyaena  amongst  the  dead. 

Catherine,  in  despair  at  the  failure  of  this  new  attempt, 
called  De  Nancey,  had  the  bodies  removed,  and  Maurevel 
conveyed  to  his  own  house,  and  forbade  them  to  wake  the 
king. 

"  Oh/'  murmured  she,  as  she  entered  her  apartment, 
her  head  sank  on  her  bosom  ;  "he  has  again  escaped — 
the  hand  of  God  protects  him.  He  will  reign — he  will 
reign  ! " 

Then,  as  she  opened  her  door,  she  assumed  a  smile. 

"  Oh,  madame,  what  was  the  matter  ?  '  demanded  every 
one  except  Madame  de  Sauve,  who  was  too  frightened  to 
ask  any  questions. 

"Oh,  nothing,"  replied  the  queen;  "only  a  noise; 
nothing  more." 

"  But,"  cried  Madame  de  Sauve,  suddenly,  "  every 
step  your  majesty  takes  leaves  a  trace  of  blood  on  the 
carpet  1 " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  297 


CHAPTEE  XXXV. 

THE  TWO  KINGS. 

CHARLES  IX.  walked  arm  in  arm  with  Henry,  followed 
by  his  four  gentlemen,  and  preceded  by  two  torch- 
bearers. 

"When  I  quit  the  Louvre,"  said  the  poor  king,  "  I  ex- 
perience a  pleasure  like  that  I  feel  when  I  enter  a  fine 
forest — I  breathe,  I  live,  I  am  free  !  " 

Henry  smiled. 

"  Your  majesty  would  be  happy  in  my  mountains  in 
Beam,  then  ?  "  was  his  reply. 

"  Yes,  and  I  can  understand  how  desirous  you  are  to 
return  there  ;  but  if  the  desire  comes  very  strong  upon  you, 
Harry,  added  Charles,  laughing,  "be  careful,  for  my 
mother  Catherine  is  so  very  fond  of  you,  that  she  really 
cannot  do  without  you." 

The  two  kings,  followed  by  their  escort,  had  reached 
the  Hotel  de  Conde,  when  they  observed  two  men,  wrapped 
in  long  cloaks,  come  forth  from  a  private  door,  which  one 
of  them  closed  carefully. 

"  Oh,  oh  !  "  said  the  king  to  Henry,  "  this  deserves  our 
attention.  You,  Harry,  are  sure  of  your  wife  "  (Charles 
smiled  as  he  said  this),  "but your  cousin  De  Cond6  is  not 
so  sure  of  his  ;  or  if  he  is  sure,  devil  fetch  me  !  but  he  is 
very  wrong/' 

"  But  how  do  you  know,  sire,  that  it  is  Madame  de 
Conde  these  gentlemen  have  come  to  visit  ?  " 

"  A  presentiment.  They  have  seen  us,  and  try  to  avoid 
notice  ;  and  then  the  peculiar  cut  of  one  of  their  mantles. 
Par  Dieu !  it  would  be  strange  !  " 

"  What  ?  " 

"Nothing,  only  an  idea;  but  let  us  advance  towards 
them." 


298  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

And  he  went  towards  the  two  men,  who,  thns  seeing 
that  they  mVst  be  accosted,  made  several  steps  in  a  con- 
trary direction. 

"  Hola  !  messieurs/*  said  the  king ;  "  stop  !  " 

"  Do  you  address  us  ?  "  said  a  voice,  which  made  Charles 
and  his  companion  start. 

"Ah,  Harry  !"  said  Charles,  "do  you  recognize  that 
voice,  now  ?  " 

"  Sire/'  replied  Henry,  "  if  your  brother,  the  Duke 
d'Anjou,  were  not  at  Kochelle,  I  should  swear  it  was  he 
who  just  spoke/' 

"  Well  then/'  said  Charles,  "  he  is  not  at  Kochelle." 

"  But  who  is  with  him  ?  " 

"  A  man  whose  figure  can  hardly  be  mistaken.  Hola  ! 
I  say,"  continued  the  king,  "  did  you  not  hear  me  ?" 

"  Are  you  the  watch,  to  apprehend  us  ?  "  asked  the  taller 
of  the  two  men,  thrusting  forth  his  hand  from  the  lolds 
of  his  mantle. 

"  Assume  that  we  are  the  watch/'  said  the  king,  "and 
stand  when  you  are  desired." 

Then,  whispering  Henry,  he  added,  "Now  you  will  see 
the  volcano  spit  forth  flames." 

"  There  are  eight  of  you,"  replied  the  taller  cf  the  two 
men,  showing  not  only  his  arm  but  his  face  ;  "  but  were 
you  a  hundred,  1  bid  you  keep  your  distance." 

"  Ah,  ah  !  the  Duke  de  Guise  ! "  said  Henry. 

"  Ah  !  our  cousin  of  Lorraine,"  said  the  king ;  "  it  is 
you,  is  it  ?  How  fortunate  ! " 

"  The  king  ! "  exclaimed  the  duke. 

As  to  the  other  personage,  he  wrapped  himself  up  still 
closer  in  his  mantle,  and  remained  motionless,  after  hav- 
ing first  uncovered  his  head  respectfully. 

"  Sire,"  said  the  Duke  de  Guise,  "  I  have  just  been 
paying  a  visit  to  my  sister-in-law,  Madame  de  CondeV' 

"Yes,  and  have  brought  one  of  your  gentlemen  with 
yon.  Pray,  who  is  he  ?  " 

"Sire,"  replied  the  duke,  "your  majesty  does  not  know 
him." 

"Then  we  will  make  his  acquaintance  now,"  said  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  299 

king  ;  and  going  towards  him,  he  desired  the  two  men  to 
approach  with  their  flambeaux. 

"  Pardon,  my  brother,"  said  the  Duke  d' Anjou,  opening 
his  mantle,  and  bowing  with  ill-concealed  vexation. 

"Ah,  ah,  Henry  !  What,  is  it  you  ?  But  no,  it  cannot 
be  possible.  I  am  deceived.  My  brother  of  Anjou  would 
never  have  gone  to  see  any  person  without  first  coming  to 
see  me.  He  is  not  ignorant  that  for  princes  of  the  blood 
there  is  only  one  entrance  in  Paris,  and  that  is  by  the  gate 
of  the  Louvre." 

"  Pardon  me,  sire,"  said  the  Duke  d' Anjou.  ' '  I  entreat 
your  majesty  to  forgive  this  breach  of  etiquette/' 

"  Of  course,"  replied  the  king  in  a  jeering  tone  ;  "  and 
what  were  you  doing,  brother,  at  the  Hotel  de  Conde  ?  " 

"Why,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre,  with  his  peculiar 
air,  "  what  your  majesty  alluded  to  but  just  now  ; "  and 
he  laughed  loudly. 

"  And  wherefore,"  asked  the  Duke  de  Guise,  with 
hauteur,  for,  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  he  behaved  very 
rudely  to  the  poor  King  of  Navarre,  "  should  I  not  visit 
my  sister-in-law  ?  Does  not  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  visit  his  ?  " 

Henry's  cheek  turned  red. 

"•What  sister-in-law  ?"  remarked  Charles  ;  "  I  do  not 
know  of  any  other  he  has  than  the  Queen  Elizabeth." 

"  Your  pardon,  sire  ;  it  was  his  sister  I  should  have 
said — Madame  Marguerite,  whom  we  saw  as  we  came  hith- 
er half-an-hour  since,  in  her  litter,  accompanied  by  two 
sparks,  one  on  each  side." 

"  Eeally  ?  "  said  Charles  ;  "  what  do  you  say  to  that, 
Henry  ?  " 

"  That  the  Queen  of  Navarre  is  free  to  go  where  she 
pleases  ;  but  I  doubt  her  having  quitted  the  Louvre/' 

"  And  I  am  sure  of  it,"  said  the  Duke  de  Guise. 

"  And  I  also,"  said  the  Duke  d'Anjou  ;  "  and  the  litter 
stopped  in  the  Rue  Cloche- Percee." 

"Your  sister-in-law,  then — not  this  one,  but  the  other," 
and  he  pointed  his  finger  in  the  direction  of  the  H6tel  de 
Guise,  "  must  be  also  of  the  party,  for  we  left  them  to- 
gether, and  they  are,  as  you  know,  inseparables." 


300  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"I  do  not  understand  what  your  majesty  implies/'  re- 
plied the  Duke  de  Guise. 

"  Now  to  me,"  observed  the  king,  "  nothing  can  be  more 
clear  ;  and  that  is  why  there  was  a  spark  on  each  side  of 
the  litter." 

"  Well/'  said  the  duke,  "  if  there  be  any  wrong  on  the 
part  of  the  queen  and  of  my  sister-in-law,  let  us  call  on 
the  justice  of  the  king  to  put  an  end  to  it." 

"  Eh,  par  Dieu  !  "  said  Henry,  "  let  us  have  done  with 
Mesdames  de  Conde  and  de  Nevers.  The  king  has  no  un- 
easiness about  his  sister  ;  I  have  none  for  my  wife." 

"  No,  no,"  interposed  Charles  ;  "  I  will  have  the  affair 
cleared  up  ;  but  let  us  manage  it  ourselves.  The  litter, 
you  say,  cousin,  stopped  in  the  Rue  Cloche- Percee  ?" 

"  Yes,  sire." 

"You  know  the  spot  ?" 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  go  thither ;  and  if  it  be  necessary  to 
burn  down  the  house  to  know  who  is  in  it,  why,  we  will 
do  so." 

It  was  with  this  feeling,  very  discouraging  for  those  con- 
cerned, that  the  four  principal  princes  of  the  Christian 
world  proceeded  towards  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine. 

When  they  reached  the  Rue  Cloche-Percee,  Charles,  who 
wished  to  confine  the  thing  to  his  family,  dismissed  his 
attendants,  desiring  them  to  be  near  the  Bastille  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  two  horses. 

On  reaching  the  house,  they  knocked,  and  tried  to  gain 
admittance,  which  the  German  porter  decidedly  and  dog- 
gedly refused.  Seeing  that  they  could  not  succeed  so,  the 
Duke  de  Guise,  pretending  to  go  away,  went  to  the  corner 
of  'the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  and  there  picked  up  one  of  those 
stones  such  as  Ajax,  Telamon,  and  Diomede  upheaved 
three  thousand  years  before,  and  dashed  it  with  violence 
against  the  door,  which  flew  open  with  the  concussion, 
knocking  down  the  German,  who  fell  heavily,  and  with  a 
loud  cry,  that  aroused  the  garrison,  which  else  ran  a  great 
risk  of  being  surprised. 

At    this  noise,    La  Mole,    Coconnas,  Marguerite,  and 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  301 

Henriette  were  aroused.  They  blew  out  all  the  lights  in- 
stantly, and  opening  the  windows,  went  out  into  the  bal- 
cony, when,  seeing  four  men  in  the  darkness,  they  began  to 
shower  down  upon  them  all  the  projectiles  within  reach, 
and  make  a  noise  by  striking  the  stone  walls  with  the  flat 
of  their  swords.  Charles,  the  most  eager  of  the  assailants, 
received  a  silver  ewer  on  his  shoulder,  the  Duke  d'Anjou 
a  basin  containing  a  jelly  of  oranges  and  cinnamon,  and 
the  Duke  de  Guise  a  haunch  of  venison. 

Henry  received  nothing ;  he  was  quietly  speaking  to 
the  porter,  whom  M.  de  Guise  had  tied  to  the  door,  and 
who  replied  by  his  eternal, 

"  Ich  verstehe  nicht." 

The  women  ably  backed  the  besieged  army,  and  handed 
projectiles  to  them,  which  fell  like  hail. 

"By  the  devil's  death! "cried  Charles,  as  he  received 
on  his  head  a  stool  which  knocked  his  hat  over  his  eyes 
and  on  to  his  nose,  "  if  they  do  not  open  this  moment,  I'll 
hang  them  all." 

"My  brother  !"  said  Marguerite  to  La  Mole,  in  a  low 
voice. 

"  The  king  !  "  said  he  to  Henriette. 

"The  king  !  the  king  !"  said  she  to  Coconnas,  who  was 
drawing  a  large  chest  to  the  window,  intending  it  espe- 
cially for  the  Duke  de  Guise,  whom,  without  knowing  him, 
he  had  picked  out  as  his  peculiar  antagonist ;  "  the  king, 
I  tell  you  ! " 

Coconnas  let  go  the  chest  with  an  air  of  amazement. 

*f  The  king  ?  "  said  he. 

"Yes,  the  king!" 

"Then  sound  a  letreat." 

"  Well,  be  it  so.  Marguerite  and  La  Mole  are  off  al- 
ready." 

"  Which  way  ?  " 

"  Come  this  way,  I  tell  you  ! "  and  taking  him  by  the 
hand,  Henriette  led  Coconnas  by  the  secret  door  which 
led  to  the  adjoining  house,  and  having  closed  it  after  them, 
they  all  four  fled  by  the  way  that  led  to  the  Kue  Tizon. 

"Ah,  ah  !"  said  Charles,  "  I  think  the  garrison  surren- 


302  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

ders.  Cousin, "-he  continued,  "take  up  the  stone  again, 
and  serve  the  inner  door  as  yon  have  done  the  outer." 

The  duke  burst  the  other  door  in  with  his  foot. 

"  The  torches  !  the  torches  ! "  said  the  king,  and  the 
lackeys  having  relighted  them,  came  forward,  and  the 
king  taking  one,  handed  the  other  to  the  Duke  d'Anjou. 

The  Duke  de  Guise  went  first,  sword  in  hand ;  Henry 
brought  up  the  rear. 

They  reached  the  first  story,  and  in  the  dining-room 
found  the  relics  of  supper,  with  candelabra  upset,  furni- 
ture thrown  over,  and  all  that  was  not  of  metal  destroyed. 

They  went  into  the  saloon,  but  there  was  no  better  clue 
to  the  late  truants  there  than  in  the  other  room. 

"There  must  be  another  way  of  egress,"  observed  the 
king. 

"  Most  probably,"  replied  D'Anjou. 

They  searched  on  all  sides,  but  found  no  door. 

"  Where  is  the  porter  ?  "  inquired  the  king. 

"  I  fastened  him  to  the  door,"  replied  the  Duke  de 
Guise. 

Henry  looked  out  of  the  window,  and  observed  : 

"  He  is  there  no  longer.*' 

"  Devil's  death  I "  said  the  king,  "  we  shall  learn  nothing 
now. " 

"And  really,"  added  Henry,  "you  see  plainly,  sire, 
that  nothing  proves  that  my  wife  and  the  Duke  de  Guise's 
sister-in-law  have  been  in  this  house ;  and  thus  the  best 
thing  we  can  do " 

"  Is,"  said  Charles,  "  for  me  to  foment  my  bruise, 
D'Anjou,  to  wipe  away  the  marks  of  the  orange-jam,  and 
Guise  to  rub  the  grease  from  off  his  ruff." 

And  then  they  all  went  away,  without  so  much  as 
closing  the  door  after  them. 

When  they  reached  the  Rue  Saint  Antoine,  the  king 
said  to  M.  d'Anjou  and  the  Duke  de  Guise  : 

"  Which  way  are  you  going,  gentlemen  ?" 

"  Sire,  we  are  going  to  Nantonillet's,  who  expects  my 
cousin  of  Lorraine  and  myself  to  supper.  Will  your  maj- 
esty deign  to  accompany  us  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  303 

"  No,  I  thank  you  ;  our  way  lies  in  an  opposite  direction. 
Will  you  have  one  of  my  torch-bearers  ?  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  sire/'  was  D'Anjou's  reply. 

"  Good  !  He  is  afraid  I  should  watch  him,"  whispered 
Charles  in  Henry's  ear.  Then,  taking  him  by  the  arm,  he 
said  : 

"  Come,  Harry,  I  will  find  you  a  supper  to-night." 

."  Then  we  are  not  going  back  to  the  Louvre  ? "  was 
Henry's  response. 

"  No,  I  tell  you,  you  threefold  thickhead  !  Come  with 
me  when  I  tell  you — come,  come  !  " 

And  he  conducted  Henry  by  the  Rue  GeofEroy-Lasnier. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

MARIE   TOTJCHET. 

THEY  reached  the  Rue  de  la  Mortellerie,  and  stopped 
before  a  small  lone  house  in  the  middle  of  a  garden,  in- 
closed by  high  walls.  Charles  took  a  key  from  his  pocket, 
and  opened  the  door  ;  and  then  desiring  Henry  and  the 
torch-bearer  to  enter,  he  closed  the  door  after  him.  One 
small  window  only  was  lighted,  to  which  Charles,  with  a 
smile,  pointed  Henry's  attention,  saying  : 

"  Harry,  I  told  you,  that  when  I  left  the  Louvre  I  quit- 
ted hell,  and  when  I  come  here  I  enter  paradise." 

' '  And  who  is  the  angel  that  guards  the  entrance  to 
your  Eden,  sire  ?  " 

"  You  will  see,"  replied  Charles  IX.  ;  and  making  a 
sign  to  Henry  to  follow  him  without  noise,  he  pushed  open 
a  first  door  then  a  second,  and  paused  on  the  threshold. 

"  Look  ! "  he  said. 

Henry  did  so,  and  remained  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  as 
charming  a  picture  as  he  ever  saw.  It  was  a  female  of 
eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age,  reposing  at  the  foot  of 
a  bed,  on  which  was  a  sleeping  infant,  whose  two  feet  she 
held  in  her  hands,  pressing  them  to  her  lips,  whilst  her 


304-  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

long  chestnut  hair  fell  down  over  them  like  waves  of 
gold. 

It  was  a  picture  of  Albano's  representing  the  Virgin  and 
the  infant  Jesus. 

"  Oh,  sire,"  said  the  King  of  Navarre,  "  who  is  this 
charming  creature  ?  " 

"  The  angel  of  my  paradise,  Harry  ;  the  only  being  who 
loves  me  for  myself 

Henry  smiled. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  "  for  myself ;  "  for  she  loved  me 
before  she  knew  I  was  the  king." 

"  Well,  and  since " 

"Well,  and  since,"  said  Charles,  with  a  sigh,  which 
proved  that  this  glittering  royalty  was  sometimes  a  bur- 
den to  him ;  "  since  she  knew  it,  she  still  loves  me. 
Watch  ! " 

The  king  approached  her  gently,  and  on  the  lovely  cheek 
of  the  young  female  impressed  a  kiss  as  light  as  that  of 
the  bee  on  a  lily,  yet  it  awoke  her. 

"  Charles  !  "  she  murmured,  opening  her  eyes. 

"  You  see,"  said  the  king,  "  she  calls  me  Charles  :  the 
queen  says  sire." 

"  Oh," exclaimed  the  young  girl,  "you  are  not  alone  !" 

"No,  dearest  Marie,  I  have  brought  you  another  king, 
happier  than  myself,  for  he  has  no  crown  :  more  unhappy 
than  me,  for  he  has  no  Marie  Touchet." 

"  Sire,  it  is,  then,  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"It  is,  love." 

Henry  went  towards  her,  and  Charles  took  his  right 
hand. 

"  Look  at  this  hand,  Marie,"  said  he  :  "  it  is  the  hand 
of  a  good  brother  and  a  loyal  friend  ;  and  but  for  this 
hand " 

"  Well,  sire  ! " 

"But  for  this  hand,  this  day,  Marie,  our  boy  had  been 
fatherless." 

Marie  uttered  a  cry,  seized  Henry's  hand,  and  kissed  it. 

The  king  went  to  the  bed  where  the  child  was  still  asleep. 

"  Eh  ! "  said  he,  "if  this  stout  boy  slept  in  the  Louvre, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  305 

instead  of  sleeping  in  this  small  house,  he  would  change 
the  aspect  of  things  at  present,  and  perhaps  for  future."  * 

"  Sire,"  said  Marie,  "  without  offense  to  your  majesty, 
I  prefer  his  sleeping  here,  he  sleeps  better." 

"You  are  right,  Marie,"  said  Charles  IX.  "Let  us 
sup  now." 

The  two  men  passed  into  the  dining-room,  whilst  the 
anxious  and  careful  mother  covered  the  little  Charles,  who 
slept  soundly,  with  a  warm  wrapper,  and  then  joined  the 
two  kings,  between  whom  she  seated  herself,  and  helped 
both. 

"  Is  it  not  well,  Harry,"  asked  Charles,  "  to  have  a  place 
in  the  world  in  which  we  can  eat  and  drink  without  the 
necessity  of  any  one  tasting  your  viands  before  you  eat 
them  yourself  ?  " 

"  I  believe,  sire,"  was  Henry's  rejoinder,  "  that  I  can 
appreciate  that  better  than  any  one." 

ee  Marie,"  said  the  king,  "  I  present  to  you  one  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  witty  men  I  know  ;  it  is  much  to  say, 
even  at  court,  and,  perhaps,  I  have  understood  him  better 
than  any  one ;  for  I  speak  of  his  mind,  as  well  as  of  his 
heart." 

"Sire,"  said  Henry,  "I  hope  that  in  exaggerating  the 
one  yon  have  no  doubt  of  the  other." 

"  I  do  not  exaggerate  anything,  Harry,"  replied  the  king. 
"He  is,  for  one  thing,  a  capital  master  of  anagrams.  Bid 
him  make  one  on  your  name,  and  I  will  answer  for  it  he 
will." 

"  Oh,  what  can  you  find  in  the  name  of  a  poor  girl  like 
me  ?  What  pleasing  idea  could  such  a  name  as  Marie 
Touchet  produce  ?  " 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  it  is  too  easy  ;  there  is  no  merit 
in  finding  such  an  one." 

"  What !  done  already  ?"  said  Charles.     "  You  see " 

*  This  natural  child  was  afterwards  the  famous  Duke  d'An- 
gouleme,  who  died  in  1650 ;  and  had  he  been  legitimate,  would 
ha^e  taken  precedence  of  Henry  III.,  Henry  IV.,  Louis  XIII., 
Louis  XIV.,  etc.,  and  altered  the  whole  line  of  the  royal  succes- 
sion of  France. 
20 


306  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Henry  took  his  tablets  from  the  pocket  of  his  doublet, 
tore  out  a  page  of  the  paper,  and  beneath  the  name  "  Marie 
Touchet,"  he  wrote  "  Je  charme  tout  "  ("  I  charm  all"), 
and  then  handed  the  leaf  to  the  young  girl. 

"  Really,"  she  exclaimed,  "  it  is  impossible  I " 

"  What  has  he  found  ?"  inquired  Charles. 

"  Sire,  I  dare  not  repeat  it." 

" Sire," said  Henry,  "in  the  name  of  Marie  Totichet 
there  is  letter  for  letter,  only  changing  the  I  into  J,  which 
is  customary,  the  words,  '  Je  charme  tout.'  " 

"  So  it  does,"  cried  Charles,  "  exactly — beautifully  ! 
This  shall  be  your  device,  Marie,  and  never  was  device 
better  merited.  Thanks,  Harry  !  Marie,  I  will  give  it 
to  you  set  in  diamonds." 

The  supper  finished  as  it  struck  two  o'clock  by  N6tre- 
Dame. 

"  Now,  Marie  '  said  Charles,  "  in  recompense  for  the 
compliment,  give  him  an  armchair,  in  which  he  may 
sleep  till  daybreak — a  long  way  off  from  us  though,  for 
he  snores  fearfully,  If,  Harry,  you  wake  before  me,  rouse 
me,  for  we  must;  be  at  the  Bastille  by  six  o'clock.  Good- 
night— make  yourse^  as  comfortable  as  you  can.  But," 
added  the  king,  placing  his  hand  on  Henry's  shoulder,  "  on 
your  life,  Harry,  on  your  life,  do  not  leave  this  house 
without  me." 

Henry  had  suspected  too  much,  to  feel  any  desire  of 
despising  this  caution. 

Charles  IX.  went  to  his  chamber,  and  Henry,  the  hardy 
mountaineer,  soon  made  himself  quite  comfortable  in  his 
armchair,  and  speedily  justified  the  precaution  his  brother- 
in-law  had  taken  in  keeping  him  at  a  distance,  in  the 
morning,  Charles  aroused  him,  and  as  he  was  dressed,  his 
toilette  did  not  occupy  him  very  long. 

They  both  passed  through  the  bedchamber,  where  the 
young  girl  was  sleeping  in  her  bed,  and  the  baby  in  its 
cradle.  They  both  were  smiling  as  they  slept.  Charles 
looked  at  them  very  tenderly,  and  turning  to  the  King  of 
Navarre,  said  to  him  : 

"  Harry,  if  you  should  ever  learn  what  service  I  have 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  307 

this  night  rendered  you,  and  any  misfortune  should  happen 
to  me,  remember  this  child  which  rests  here  in  its  cradle." 
Then,  kissing  them  both,  he  said,  "  Adieu,  my  angels  I" 
and  left  the  apartment.  Henry  followed,  buried  deeply 
in  thought. 

Two  horses,  held  by  his  gentlemen,  awaited  them  at  the 
Bastille ;  Charles  made  a  sign  to  Henry  to  mount,  and 
going  by  the  garden  of  the  Arbalete,  they  went  towards 
the  exterior  Boulevards.  When  they  reached  the  Marais, 
where  they  were  sheltered  by  the  palisades,  Charles  di- 
rected Henry's  attention,  through  the  thick  haze  of  the 
morning,  to  some  men  wrapped  in  long  mantles  and  Avear- 
ing  fur  caps,  who  were  on  horseback  beside  a  wagon  heavily 
laden. 

"  Ah,  ah  !"said  Charles,  smiling,  "I  thought  so." 

"Eh,  sire,"  observed  Henry,  "  is  not  one  of  them  the 
Duke  d'  Anjou  ! " 

"  Himself,"  said  Charles.  "  Keep  back,  Harry  !  don't 
let  them  see  us." 

"  And  who  are  the  other  men,  and  what  is  in  the 
wagon  ? " 

"  The  men  are  the  Polish  ambassadors,  and  in  the  wagon 
is  a  crown ;  and  now,"  he  added,  putting  his  horse  to  a 
gallop,  "  come,  Harry,  for  I  have  seen  all  I  wished  to 
discover." 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  RETURN"  TO  THE  LOUVRE. 

WHEN  Catherine  believed  all  was  arranged  in  the  King  of 
Navarre's  chamber,  that  the  dead  soldiers  were  removed, 
Maurevel  conveyed  away,  and  the  carpets  washed,  she  dis- 
missed her  maids,  for  it  was  nearly  midnight,  and  at- 
tempted to  go  to  sleep  ;  but  the  shock  had  been  too  severe, 
the  deception  too  great.  The  detested  Henry  eternally 
escaped  her  plots,  well-laid  and  deadly  as  they  were  ;  he 
seemed  protected  by  some  invisible  power,  which  Catherine 

DUMAS— YOL.  III.— 14 


308  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

persisted  in  calling  chance,  although  in  the  depths  of  her 
heart  a  voice  told  her  that  the  real  name  of  this  power  was 
destiny.  Sleep  came  not  to  her  eyes,  and,  her  brain  filled 
with  fresh  projects,  she  rose  at  break  of  day,  dressed  her- 
self, and  went  towards  Charles's  apartments,  where  she 
found  his  nurse  in  the  antechamber. 

"  Nurse,  I  desire  to  see  my  son." 

"  Madame,  I  will  not  open  the  door,  except  on  the 
formal  order  of  yoir  majesty." 

"  Open,  nurse,  I  command  you." 

The  nurse  at  this  voice,  more  respected  and  more  dreaded 
than  that  of  Charles  himseL,  presented  the  key  to  Cath- 
erine ;  but  Catherine  h«,d  no  need  of  it,  drawing  from  her 
pocket  a  key  of  her  own,  which  opened  her  son's  door  in 
an  instant. 

The  chamber  was  unoccupied  ;  Charles's  couch  was  undis- 
turbed ;  and  his  two  greyhounds,  lying  down  on  a  bearskin, 
rose,  and  coming  to  Catherine,  licked  her  hands. 

"  Ah  !"  said  the  queen,  "  he  has  gone  out ;  I  will  await 
him." 

And  she  seated  herself  gloomily  in  the  recess  of  a  win- 
dow which  looked  into  the  principal  court  of  the  Louvre. 
For  two  hours  sho  remained  there,  pale  and  immovable  as 
a  marble  statue,  when  at  length  she  saw  a  troop  of  cavaliers 
enter  the  gate,  at  the  head  of  whom  she  beheld  Charles  and 
Henry  of  Navarre. 

Then  she  comprehended  all.  Charles,  instead  of  debat- 
ing with  her  as  to  the  arrest  of  his  brother-in-law,  had 
carried  him  off,  and  thus  saved  him. 

"  Blind,  blind,  blind  !"  she  murmured  ;  and  she  waited 
where  she  was. 

A  moment  afterwards  she  heard  footsteps  without,  and 
Charles,  lifting  the  tapestry,  found  himself  in  the  presence 
of  his  mother. 

Behind  him,  and  looking  over  his  shoulder,  was  the  pale 
and  uneasy  countenance  of  the  Bearnais. 

"  Ah  !  you  here,  madame  ?  "  said  Charles  IX.,  frowning. 

"  Yes,  my  son ;  I  wish  to  speak  with  you." 

"Tome?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  309 

"Yon,  and  alone." 

"  Well,  well/'  said  Charles,  turning  towards  his  brother- 
in-law,  "since  it  cannot  be  avoided,  the  sooner  the  better." 

"  1  leave  you,  sire/'  said  Henry. 

"  Yes,  yes,  do,"  replied  Charles  ;  "  and  since  you  are  a 
Catholic,  Harry,  go  and  hear  mass  on  my  behalf ;  as  for 
me,  I  shall  stay  and  hear  the  sermon." 

Henry  bowed,  and  left  the  apartment. 

Charles  IX.  anticipating  the  questions  which  his  mother 
-would  address  to  him,  said,  trying  to  turn  the  affair  into 
a  jest.  "  Well,  madame,  pardieu  !  you  are  going  to  scold 
me,  are  you  not  ?  I  made  your  little  plot  fail  most  signally. 
Well,  mart  d'un  diable!  I  really  could  not  allow  to  be 
arrested  and  conveyed  to  the  Bastille  the  man  who  had  just 
saved  my  life  ;  so  forgive  me,  and  confess  that  the  joke  was 
a  capital  one." 

"Sire,  '  replied  Catherine,  "your  majesty  is  mistaken; 
it  was  not  a  joke." 

"  Yes,  yes,  and  so  you  will  say,  or  the  devil  take  me  ! " 

"  Sire,  you  have  by  your  own  fault  caused  the  failure  of 
a  plan  which  would  have  led  us  to  a  grand  discovery." 

"  Come,"  said  the  king,  "come,  let  us  know  all  about  it. 
What  have  you  to  complain  of  against  Harry  ?  " 

"  Why,  that  he  is  in  a  conspiracy." 

"Yes,  of  course;  that  is  your  everlasting  accusation." 

"Listen,"  said  Catherine,  "  listen,  and  you  will  find  a 
means  of  proving  whether  or  no  I  am  wrong." 

"  Well,  how,  mother  ?  " 

"  Inquire  from  Henry  who  was  in  his  chamber  last  night ; 
and  if  he  tells  you,  I  am  ready  to  confess  that  I  was  wrong." 

"  But  suppose  it  was  a  woman,  we  cannot  suppose " 

"  A  woman  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  woman." 

"  A  woman  who  killed  two  of  your  guards,  and  has 
wounded,  perhaps  mortally,  M.  de  Maurevel  ! " 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  said  the  king,  "  this  grows  serious.  There 
has  been  blood  spilt,  then  ?  " 

"  Three  men  were  leveled  with  the  earth." 

t(  And  he  who  left  them  in  this  condition ?" 


310  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Escaped,  safe  and  sound." 

"  By  Gog  and  Magog  ! "  cried  Charles,  "  he  was  a  gallant 
fellow,  and  you  are  right,  mother.  I  should  like  to  know 
him." 

"  Well,  I  tell  you  beforehand  you  will  not  learn  who  it 
is,  at  least  from  Henry." 

"  But  from  you,  mother.  This  man  did  not  flee  without 
leaving  some  traces, — without  some  portion  of  his  dress 
being  remarked." 

"  Nothing  was  observed  but  the  elegant  cherry-colored 
mantle  which  he  wore." 

"  Ah,  ah  !  a  cherry-colored  mantle  ! "  said  Charles  ; 
"  I  know  but  one  at  court  so  remarkable." 

"  Precisely,"  said  Catherine. 

"  Well ! "  replied  Charles. 

"  Well,"  answered  Catherine,  "  await  me  here,  my  son, 
whilst  I  go  to  see  if  my  orders  have  been  executed." 

Catherine  went  out,  leaving  Charles  alone,  and  he  paced 
up  and  down  thoughtfully,  whistling  a  hunting  air,  with 
one  hand  in  his  doublet,  and  letting  the  other  hang  down 
for  his  dogs  to  lick  every  time  he  paused. 

As  to  Henry,  he  had  left  his  brother-in-law's  apartments 
very  uneasy,  and  instead  of  going  along  the  usual  corridor, 
he  had  ascended  the  small  private  staircase  we  have  before 
referred  to,  and  which  led  to  the  second  story,  but  scarcely 
had  he  gone  up  four  steps  than  he  saw  a  shadow  :  he 
stopped,  and  put  his  hand  to  his  dagger,  but  immediately 
recognized  a  female,  and  a  charming  voice  familiar  to  his 
ear  said  : 

"  Heaven  be  praised,  sire  !  you  are  safe  and  sound.  I 
was  in  great  alarm  about  you,  but  heaven  has  heard  my 
prayer." 

"  What,  then,  has  happened  ?  "  inquired  Henry. 

"  You  will  know  when  you  reach  your  apartments.  Do 
not  be  uneasy  about  Orthon  ;  I  have  taken  care  of  him." 

And  the  young  lady  descended  the  stairs  rapidly,  pass- 
ing Henry  as  if  she  had  met  him  accidentally. 

"This  is  very  strange,"  said  Henry  to  himself;  "what 
can  have  happened  ? — what  has  occurred  to  Orthon  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  3H 

The  question,  unfortunately,  could  not  reach  Madame 
de  Sauve,  for  Madame  de  Sauve  was  already  out  of  hearing. 

At  the  top  of  the  staircase  Henry  saw  another  shadow  ; 
it  was  that  of  a  man. 

"  Hush  ! "  said  this  man. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  is  that  you,  Fra^ois  ?'*" 

"  Do  not  mention  my  name." 

"  What  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Go  into  your  rooms,  and  you  will  see  ;  then  go  quietly 
into  the  corridor,  look  carefully  about  that  no  one  sees 
you,  and  come  to  me — my  door  will  be  ajar." 

And  he  disappeared,  in  his  turn,  down  the  staircase, 
like  a  ghost  in  a  theater  down  a  trap. 

"  Ventre-saint-gris ! "  muttered  de  Be"arnais,  "  the 
mystery  grows  thicker,  but  as  the  solution  is  to  be  found 
in  my  apartment,  let  us  go  thither." 

He  reached  the  door,  and  listened  ;  there  was  not  a 
sound.  Charlottt  had  told  him  to  go  there,  and  it  was 
thus  evident  that  there  was  nothing  to  fear.  He  entered, 
and  cast  a  glance  around  the  antechamber,  which  was 
solitary,  but  nothing  indicated  that  anything  had  taken 
place. 

"  Orthon  is  not  here/'  he  remarked,  and  went  to  the 
inner  chamber. 

Here  all  was  explained.  In  spite  of  the  water,  which 
had  been  copiously  used,  large  red  spots  stained  the  floor  ; 
a  piece  of  furniture  was  broken,  the  hangings  of  the  bed 
were  hacked  with  sword-cuts,  a  Venetian  mirror  was 
broken  by  the  blow  of  a  bullet,  and  a  blood-stained  hand 
had  leaned  against  the  wall,  and  left  against  it  a  terrible 
imprint,  announcing  that  this  chamber  had  been  the 
mute  witness  of  a  mortal  struggle.  Henry  started  back, 
and  gazed  with  haggard  eye  at  all  these  different  details, 
and  passing  his  hand  over  his  brow,  moist  with  perspira- 
tion, he  murmured  : 

"  Ah  !  now  I  understand  the  service  which  the  king  has 
done  me  ;  they  came  to  assassinate  me,  and — ah  ! — De 
Mouy  !  what  have  they  done  with  De  Mouy  ? — Wretches  I 
they  have  murdered  him  ! " 


312  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

And  anxious  to  learn  the  particulars,  he  hastened  to 
the  Duke  d'Alengon,  who  was  waiting  for  him,  and  taking 
Henry's  hand,  and  placing  his  finger  on  his  lips,  led  him 
to  a  small  closet  in  the  tower,  completely  isolated,  and 
consequently  out  of  the  rea  h  of  all  eyes  and  ears. 

"  Oh,  my  brother,"  he  said,  "what  a  horrible  night  1" 

"  What  has  happened  ?     asked  Henry. 

"  They  sought  to  arrest  you." 

"  Me  ?  " 

"Yes,  you." 

"  And  wherefore  ?  " 

"I  know  not — where  were  you  ?" 

"  The  king  took  me  last  night  away  with  him  into  the 
city." 

"  Then  he  was  aware  of  it,"  said  D'Alen9on.  "  But 
since  you  were  not  here,  who  was  in  your  rooms  ?  " 

"  Was  any  one  there  ?"  inquired  Henry,  as  if  ignorant 
of  the  fact. 

"  Yes,  a  man.  When  I  heard  the  noise,  I  ran  to  bring 
you  succor,  but  it  was  too  late." 

"  Was  the  man  arrested  ? '  inonir  d  Henry,  anxiously. 

"  No  ;  he  escaped,  after  having  dangero  sly  wounded 
Maurevel  and  killed  two  guards.  '* 

"  Ah,  brave  De  Mouy  !  "  cie<?  nenry. 

"  Was  it,  then,  De  Mony  ?"  said  D'Alen9on,  quickly. 

Henry  saw  he  had  commited  a  fault. 

"  At  least,  I  presume  so,"  he  replied,  "  for  I  had  given 
him  an  appointment  to  arrange  with  him  as  to  your  flight, 
and  to  tell  him  that  I  had  ceded  to  you  all  my  rights  to  the 
throne  of  Navarre." 

"  Then  if  De  Mouy  is  known,"  said  D'Alen9on,  turning 
pale,  "we  are  lost."  \. 

Yes  ;  for  Maurevel  will  tell." 

"  Maurevel  has  been  wounded  in  the  throat,  and  I  have 
learned  from  the  surgeon  that  he  wi  1  n  t  speak  a  word  for 
eight  days." 

"  Eight  days  !  that  is  a  longer  time  than  De  Mouy  re- 
quires to  reach  a  place  of  safety/' 

"  But  it  may  be  some  other,  and  not  M.  de  Mouy." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIR  313 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  "  asked  Henry. 

"  Yes  ;  this  person  disappeared  very  swiftly,  and  noth- 
ing was  seen  but  a  cherry-colored  cloak. " 

"  Why,  really,"  remarked  Henry,  "  a  cherry-colored 
cloak  is  a  thing  for  a  fop,  not  for  a  soldier  ;  no  one  would 
suspect  De  Mouy  of  appearing  in  a  cherry-colored  cloak." 

"  No  ;  and  if  any  one  were  suspected,"  said  D'AlenQon, 
"  it  would  rather  be " 

He  paused. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  Henry. 

"  Certainly  ;  since  I,  who  saw  him  myself,  doubted  for 
a  moment. " 

"  You  doubted?    Well,  then,  it  might  be  M.  dela  Mole." 

"  Does  he  know  nothing  ?"  inquired  D'AlenQon. 

"  Nothing  important." 

"  Brother,"  said  the  duke,  "  now  I  really  believe  it 
was  he." 

"  Diable  I "  observed  Henry,  "  if  it  be  he,  it  will  greatly 
annoy  the  queen,  who  takes  an  interest  in  him." 

"  An  interest,  say  you  ?"  said  D'Aleu^on,  amazed. 

"  Unquestionably.  Do  you  not  remember,  Francois, 
Chat  it  was  your  sister  who  recommended  him  to  you  ?  " 

"  It  was,  indeed,"  said  the  duke  ;  "and  if  I  were  sure 
you  would  support  me,  I  myself  w  >uld  almost  accuse  him." 

"  If  you  accuse  him,"  replied  Henry,  "  understand, 
brother,  I  shall  not  gainsay  you." 

"  But  the  queen  ?  "  said  D'Alen9on. 

"  Ah,  yes,  the  queen  !  " 

"  We  must  know  what  she  will  do." 

"  I  will  undertake  that  commission." 

"  Plague  take  it,  brother  !  she  will  be  wrong  to  give  us 
the  lie,  for  only  see  what  a  glorious  reputation  the  young 
fellow  will  have,  and  which  will  have  cost  him  nothing  ; 
though  to  be  sure,  he  may  be  called  on  to  pay  capital  and 
interest  at  once." 

"  Devil  take  it  !  what  would  you  have  ?  "  inquired 
Henry.  "  In  this  nether  world,  we  have  nothing  for 
nothing; "  and,  saluting  D'AlenQon,  he  went  rapidly  down 
the  staircase  to  Marguerite's  apartments. 


314  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  was  hardly  more  at  ease  than  her 
husband.  The  expedition  of  the  night,  directed  against 
herself  and  Madame  de  Nevers,  by  the  king,  the  Duke 
d'Anjou,  the  Duke  de  Guise,  and  Henry,  whom  she  had  rec- 
ognized, had  greatly  disturbed  her.  She  had  gone  to  bed, 
but  she  could  not  sleep,  and  trembled  at  every  sound. 
At  this  moment,  Henry  knocked  at  her  door,  and  Gillonne 
admitted  him  at  her  mistress's  order. 

Henry  paused  at  the  door.  Nothing  in  him  announced 
the  injured  husband  ;  his  habitual  smile  was  on  his  well- 
defined  lips,  and  not  a  muscle  of  his  countenance  betrayed 
the  severe  emotions  he  had  undergone.  He  looked  at 
Marguerite  to  ascertain  if  she  would  allow  him  to  remain 
alone  with  her,  and  Marguerite  motioned  Gillonne  to  re- 
tire. 

"  Madame, "  said  Henry,  "  I  know  how  deeply  you  are 
attached  to  your  friends,  and  I  fear  I  bring  you  unwel- 
come tidings." 

"  What  are  they,  sir  ?  "  asked  Marguerite. 

"  One  of  our  beat  beloved  servitors  is  greatly  compro- 
mised at  this  moment." 

"Who  ?" 

"  Our  dear  Comte  de  la  Mole." 

"  And  how  ?" 

"  In  consequence  of  the  adventure  of  last  night." 

Marguerite,  in  spite  of  her  self-command,  could  not  re- 
frain from  blushing. 

"  What  adventure  ?  "  she  said. 

"  What  !  "  said  Henry  ;  "  did  you  not  hear  all  the 
noise  that  was  made  at  the  Louvre  last  night  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Then  I  congratulate  you,  madame,"  said  Henry,  with 
much  gravity,  "  for  you  must  have  slept  very  soundly." 

"Well,  what  did  pass?" 

"  Why,  our  good  mother  had  ordered  M.  de  Maurevel 
and  six  of  her  guards  to  arrest  me." 

"  You,  sir— you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  me." 

"  And  wherefore  ?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  315 

"  Ah !  who  can  tell  the  '  wherefores  *  of  such  a  mind  as 
your  mother's  ?  I  suspect  them,  but  do  not  know  them." 

"  And  you  were  not  in  your  chamber  ?  " 

"  No,  by  accident ;  you  have  guessed  rightly,  madame. 
Last  evening,  the  king  invited  me  to  accompany  him. 
But  if  I  was  not  in  my  apartments,  some  other  person 
was."  . 

"  And  who  was  that  other  person  ?" 

"  It  appears  that  it  was  the  Comte  de  la  Mole." 

"The  Comte  de  la  Mole  !  "  said  Marguerite,  amazed. 

"  Tudieu  I  only  imagine  what  a  stout  fellow  the  Pro- 
ven9al  was/'  continued  Henry.  "  Why,  he  wounded 
Maurevel  and  killed  two  of  the  guards." 

"Wounded  M.  de  Maurevel  and  killed  two  of  the 
guards  !  Impossible  !  " 

"  What,  do  you  doubt  his  courage,  madame  ?  " 

"No ;  but  I  say  that  M.  de  la  Mole  could  not  be  in  your 
apartments." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because — because,"  answered  Marguerite,  greatly 
embarrassed,  "because  he  was  elsewhere." 

"  Ah,  if  he  can  prove  an  alibi,"  observed  Henry,  "  that 
is  another  thing.  He  will  say  where  he  was,  and  there's 
an  end." 

"  Where  he  was  ?"  said  Marguerite,  quickly. 

"  Assuredly.  But  unfortunately,  as  they  have 
proofs " 

"Proofs!    What?" 

"  Why,  the  man  who  made  this  desperate  defense  wore 
a  red  cloak." 

"  But  is  M.  de  la  Mole  the  only  man  who  wears  a  red 
cloak  ?  I  know  another  person  also." 

"  So  do  I ;  but  then  see  what  will  happen.  If  it  was 
not  M.  de  la  Mole,  it  was  some  other  man  in  a  red  cloak 
like  him,  and  you  know  who  that  man  is. ' 

"  Heavens  ! " 

"  This  is  the  breaker  a  head  of  us.  You  have  seen  him, 
as  I  have,  madame  ;  and  your  emotion  proves  it.  Let  us, 
then,  talk  this  matter  over  like  two  persons  who  speak  of 


816  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

a  thing  the  most  coveted  in  the  world — a  throne  ;  of  a 
thing  most  precious — life.  De  Mouy  arrested,  we  are 
lost!" 

"  Yes  ;  I  understand  that." 

"  Whilst  M.  de  la  Mole  can  compromise  nobody,  unless 
he  were  capable  of  inventing  some  such  tale  as  that  he 
was  with  a  party  of  ladies — how  can  I  tell  ?  " 

"  Sir/'  said  Marguerite,  "  if  you  only  fear  that,  be  per- 
fectly easy  ;  he  will  not  so  say." 

"  What ! "  said  Henry,  "  will  he  be  silent,  even  if  silence 
cost  him  his  life  ?  " 

"  He  will,  sir." 

"  You  are  sure  ?  " 

"I  will  answer  for  him." 

"Then  all  is  for  the  best,"  said  Henry,  rising. 

"  Then  you  go,  sir " 

"  To  endeavor  to  get  us  out  of  the  danger  into  which 
this  devil  of  a  man  in  the  red  cloak  has  plunged  us." 

"  Ah,  mon  Dieu  !  mon  Dieu  !  poor  young  man  !  "  ex- 
claimed Marguerite,  in  a  paroxysm  of  grief,  and  wringing 
her  hands. 

"  Eeally,"  said  Henry,  as  he  retired,  "  this  dear  M.  de 
la  Mole  is  a  very  faithful  and  gentlemanly  servitor  1 " 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

INTERROGATORIES. 

CHARLES  entered  smiling  and  jesting  into  his  apart- 
ments, but  after  ten  minutes'  conversation  with  his  mother, 
it  was  she  who  had  recovered  her  good  humor,  and  he 
who  was  serious  and  thoughtful. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  Charles,  "M  de  la  Mole — we 
must  summon  Henry  and  D'Alenqon  :  Henry,  because  this 
young  man  is  a  Huguenot — D'Alen9on,  because  he  is  in 
his  service." 

"  Summon  them  if  you  will,    my    son,  yon  will  learn 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  317 

nothing.  I  fear  there  exists  a  better  understanding  be- 
tween Henry  and  Frangois  than  you  imagine." 

Charles  walked  up  and  down  rapidly,  biting  his  lips 
and  pressing  his  hand  to  his  heart,  as  if  to  restrain  his 
wrath. 

"  No,  no,"  said  he,  "  I  will  not  wait  !  Let  some  one 
summon  the  Duke  d'Aleugon,  then  Henry.  I  will  inter- 
rogate them  separately.  As  for  you,  you  can  stay,  if  you 
please." 

The  Duke  d'Alengon  entered.  His  conversation  with 
Henry  had  prepared  him  for  this  interview  ;  he  was  there- 
fore perfectly  collected. 

His  answers  were  most  precise.  Warned  by  his  mother 
not  to  quit  his  apartments,  he  was  ignorant  of  the  events 
of  the  night  :  only,  as  those  apartments  were  in  the  same 
corridor  as  the  King  of  Navarre's,  he  had  heard  footsteps, 
then  the  sound  of  a  door  opening,  and  the  report  of  fire- 
arms ;  he  had  ventured  to  open  his  door  slightly,  and  had 
seen  a  man  in  a  red  mantle  escape.  Charles  and  the  queen 
looked  at  each  other. 

"  In  a  red  mantle  ?  "  said  the  king. "  Yes." 

"  And  did  not  this  mantle  give  you  any  suspicions  as  to 
who  the  person  was  ?  " 

D'Aiengon  collected  all  his  presence  of  mind,  in  order 
to  lie  more  naturally. 

"I  confess,"  said  he,  "I  thought  I  recognized  the 
mantle  of  one  of  my  gentlemen." 

"  Which  of  them  ?  " 

"  M.  de  la  Mole." 

' '  Why  was  he  not  in  attendance  on  you  ?  " 

"I  had  given  him  leave  of  absence." 

"  That  will  do  :  go." 

The  duke  advanced  towards  the  door. 

"  No — this  way,"  said  Charles,  pointing  to  the  door 
which  led  to  his  nurse's  apartments. 

Charles  did  not  wish  Frangois  and  Henry  should  see 
each -other.  He  was  ignorant  that  they  had  already  met 
for  a  few  moments,  and  that  this  short  time  had  sufficed  to 
arrange  their  plans. 


318  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

•    Behind  D'Alengon,  and  at  a  sign  from  Charles,   came 
Henry. 

"  Sire,"  said  he,  "  you  have  done  well  to  send  for  me,  for 
I  was  coming  to  seek  you,  to  demand  justice." 

Charles  frowned. 

"  Yes,  justice  1 "  said  Henry.  "  I  commence  by  thank- 
ing your  majesty  for  having  taken  me  with  you  last  night, 
for  I  now  know  that  by  so  doing  you  saved  my  life  ;  but 
what  have  I  done  to  deserve  being  assassinated  ?" 

"It  was  not  an  assassination,"  said  Catherine;  "  it  was 
an  arrest." 

"Well!  "returned  Henry,  "what  crime  have  I  com- 
mitted ?  I  am  as  guilty  to-day  as  yesterday.  What  is  my 
crime,  I  ask  again,  sire  ?  " 

Charles  looked  at  his  mother,  somewhat  embarrassed 
for  an  answer. 

"  My  son,"  said  Catherine,  "  you  hold  communication 
with  suspected  persons." 

"And  these  suspected  persons  compromise  me — is  it 
not  so,  madame  ?  " 

"Yes,  Henry." 

"Name  them,  then — name  them — confront  me  with 
them!" 

"  Why,  aye,"  said  Charles,  "  Harry  has  a  right  to  an  ex- 
planation." 

"  And  I  demand  one,"  said  Henry,  who  saw  his  advan- 
tage, and  resolved  to  use  it :  "I  demand  one  from  my 
brother  Charles,  from  my  stepmother  Catherine.  Since 
my  marriage,  have  I  not  been  a  good  husband  ? — ask  Mar- 
guerite. A  good  Catholic  ? — ask  my  confessor.  A  good 
brother  ? — ask  all  those  who  were  at  the  hunt  yesterday." 

"  It  is  true,  Harry,"  replied  the  king ;  "  but  they  say 
you  conspire." 

"  Against  whom  ?  " 

"  Against  me." 

"  Sire,  were  that  true,  I  needed  only  to  have  let  events 
take  their  course  when  the  boar  was  on  you." 

"Eh,  mortdiable!  he  is  right,  mother." 

"  But  who  was  last  night  in  your  apartments  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  319 

*'  Madame,"  returned  Henry,  "  I  can  scarcely  answer 
for  myself,  much  less  for  others.  I  left  my  apartments  at 
a  quarter  past  seven,  and  the  king  took  me  with  him  at 
nine  ;  and  I  did  not  quit  his  majesty  all  the  night ;  I 
could  not  be  with  him  and  in  the  Louvre  at  the  same 
time." 

"  But,*'  said  Catherine,  "  it  is  not  the  less  true  that 
some  one  of  your  followers  killed  two  of  the  king's  guards, 
and  wounded  M.  de  Maurevel." 

"One  of  my  followers  I"  cried  Henry.  "  Name  him, 
then." 

"  Every  one  accuses  M.  de  la  Mole." 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  is  not  in  my  service,  but  in  that  of  the 
Duke  d'AlenQon,  to  whom  Marguerite  recommended  him." 

"  But/'  said  Charles,  "was  it  M.  de  la  Mole  who  was 
there  ? " 

"  How  should  I  know,  sire  ?  I  do  not  say  yes  or  no. 
M.  de  la  Mole  is  a  very  gallant  gentleman,  devoted  to  the 
Queen  of  Navarre,  and  who  often  brings  me  messages 
from  Marguerite,  to  whom  he  i  very  grateful  for  having 
recommended  him  to  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  or  from  the 
duke  himself.  I  know  not  if  it  were  he  or  not." 

"  It  was  he,"  said  Catherine  ;  "  he  was  recognized  by 
his  red  mantle." 

"  Ah,  he  has  a  red  mantle  ?  "  asked   Henry. 

"  Yes." 

"  And  the  man  who  so  maltreated  your  guards  and  M. 
de  Maurevel  had  a  red  mantle  ?  " 

"Exactly  so,"  replied  Charles. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  that,"  answered  the  BSarnais  ; 
"  but  it  seems  to  me  that,  instead  of  sending  for  me,  it 
was  M.  de  la  Mole  who  should  have  been  sent  for  ;  but 
there  is  one  thing  I  would  remark." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  That  if  I  had  resisted  the  king's  order  I  should  be 
culpable,  and  merit  severe  punishment ;  but  it  was  not 
me,  it  was  a  stranger  in  no  way  concerned,  whom  they 
Bought  to  arrest ;  he  defended  himself,  and  he  had  a  right 
to  do  so." 


820  MABGUEBITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Yet "murmured  Catherine. 

"  Madame, "  demanded  Henry,  "  was  the  order  to  arrest 
me?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  the  king  had  signed  it." 

"Bat  was  it  in  the  order  to  arrest  any  one  found  in  my 
place  ?  " 

"No." 

"Well,  then,"  continued  Henry,  "unless  it  can  be 
proved  I  am  plotting  against  the  king,  and  that  the  man 
in  my  chamber  is  plotting  with  me,  he  is  innocent.  Sire," 
continued  he,  turning  to  Charles  IX.,  "  I  do  not  quit  the 
Louvre,  or  I  am  ready  at  your  majesty's  orders  to  retire  to 
any  state  prison  you  may  think  fit  to  indicate,  but  for  the 
mean  time  I  have  a  right  to  declare  myself  the  loyal  sub- 
ject and  bi other  of  your  majesty." 

And  saluting  them  with  an  air  of  dignity  Charles  had 
never  before  seen  in  him,  Henry  withdrew. 

"  Bravo,  Harry  !  "  cried  Charles. 

"  Bravo  !  because  he  has  beaten  us  ?  " 

"  And  why  not  ?  When  he  hits  me  in  fencing,  don't  I 
cry  Vavo  !  Mother,  you  are  wrong  to  despise  this  young 
man 

•'  My  son  !  I  do  not  hate —  I  fear  him." 

"  Well,  you're  wrong ;  for  if  he  were  really  plotting 
against  me,  he  only  need  have  let  the  boar  alone  yester- 
day. ' 

'•  Yes/;  said  Catherine,  "  and  so  have  made  D'Anjou, 
his  personal  enemy,  King  of  France." 

"Never  mind  what  motive  made  him  save  my  life; 
suffice  it,  he  did  save  it.  Mort  de  tons  Us  diables  I  I  will 
not  have  him  meddled  with  ;  as  for  M.  de  la  Mole,  I  will 
speak  to  D'Alenqon  about  him." 

Catherine  took  her  leave.  On  re-entering  her  cham- 
ber, she  found  Marguerite  waiting  for  her. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  said  she  "  it  is  you,  my  daughter  ;  I  sent 
for  you  last  night." 

"  This  morning,  madame,  I  come  to  tell  your  majesty 
you  are  about  to  commit  a  great  injustice  ;  you  are  going 
to  arrest  M.  de  la  Mole." 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOI8.  321 

"It  is  probable." 

•"  Accused  of  having  killed  two  of  the  king's  guards, 
and  wounded  M.  de  Maurevel  last  night,  in  the  King  of 
Navarre's  chamber/' 

"  That  is  what  he  is  charged  with." 

"  He  is  wrongfully  accused ;  M.  de  la  Mole  is  not 
guilty/' 

"  Not  guilty  !  "  cried  Catherine,  joyfully  ;  for  she  hoped 
to  learn  something  from  what  Marguerite  was  about  to 
tell  her. 

"  No,"  returned  Marguerite,  "  he  cannot  be  guilty,  for 
he  was  not  there." 

"  Where  was  he,  then  ?'* 

"  With  me." 

"  With  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 

Catherine,  instead  of  darting  a  look  of  indignation  at 
her  daughter,  quietly  folded  her  hands  in  her  lap. 

"  If  not  M.  de  la  Mole,  who  was  there,  then  ?  "  said 
she. 

"I  know  not,"  returned  Marguerite,  hesitatingly. 

"  Come,  do  not  tell  me  the  truth  by  halves." 

"  I  tell  you,  madame,  I  do  not  know,"  said  Marguerite, 
turning  pale  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  queen-mother,  "  we  shall  find 
out.  Go,  my  child ;  your  mother  watches  over  your 
honor." 

Marguerite  retired. 

"  Ah  !  "  murmured  Catherine,  "  Henry  and  Marguerite 
have  an  understanding  together  ;  provided  she  is  silent, 
he  is  blind.  Ah,  my  children,  you  think  yourselves  strong 
in  your  union,  but  I  will  crush  you.  Besides,  all  must  be 
known,  the  day  when  Maurevel  can  write  or  pronounce 
six  letters." 

And  hereupon  Catherine  returned  to  the  royal  apart- 
ments, where  she  found  Charles  in  conference  with 
D'Alengon. 

"  You  here,  ma  mere  !  "  said  Charles. 

"  Why  not  say  again,  for  that  was  in  your  thoughts  ?  " 

21 


322  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  keep  my  thoughts  to  myself,"  returned  the  king, 
with  that  harsh  tone  he  sometimes  adopted  even  to  Cath- 
erine. "  What  have  you  to  say  ?  " 

"  That  you  were  right,  Charles  ;  and  you,  D'AlenQon, 
wrong. " 

"  How  ?"  cried  both  together. 

"  It  was  not  La  Mole  who  was  in  the  King  of  Navarre's 
apartments." 

"  Who  then  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  We  shall  know  when  Maurevel  is  recovered,  but  let  us 
speak  of  La  Mole." 

"  What  do  you  want  with  him,  since  he  was  not  with 
the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No,  but  he  was  with  the  queen." 

"  The  queen  !  "  cried  Charles,  bursting  into  a  loud  laugh. 
"  No,  no,  Guise  told  us  he  met  her  litter." 

"Just  so,"  said  Catherine  ;  "she  has  a  house  in  Paris." 

"  Rue  Cloche-Percee  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  believe  so." 

"  Ah! "  cried  the  king,  suddenly,  "  it  must  have  been  he 
who  threw  a  dish  on  my  head  last  night — the  scoundrel ! " 

"  Doubtless,"  replied  Catherine  ;  "  and  we  must  take 
heed  to  the  matter  at  once,  for  the  least  indiscretion  of 
this  gentleman  might  occasion  a  terrible  noise.  It  needs 
but  a  moment  of  intoxication -" 

"  Or  of  vanity,"  said  Fra^ois. 

"Doubtless,"  returned  Charles  ;  "but  we  cannot  carry 
the  cause  before  the  judges,  until  Henry  consents." 

"  My  son,"  said  Catherine,  significantly,  "  a  crime  has 
been  committed,  and  there  may  be  scandal.  Were  you 
simple  gentlemen,  I  should  need  say  nothing  to  you,  for 
you  are  both  brave  ;  but  you  are  princes,  and  cannot  cross 
swords  with  an  inferior  in  rank  ;  think,  then,  how  to 
avenge  yourselves  as  princes.*' 

" Mort  de  tons  Us  diables ! "  said  Charles;  "I  will 
think  of  it." 

"  I  leave  you,"  said  Catherine,  "  but  I  leave  you  this  to 
represent  me." 

As  she  spoke,  she  untied  the  silken  cord  that  passed 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  323 

thrice  round  her  waist,  and  of  which  the  two  tassels  fell 
to  her  knees,  and  cast  it  at  the  feet  of  the  two  princes. 

"Ah,"  said  Charles,  "  I  understand/' 

"  This  cord "  said  D'Alenc.on. 

"Is  punishment  and  silence,"  replied  Catherine  ;  "but, 
first,  it  will  be  as  well  to  mention  the  thing  to  Henry." 

And  she  retired. 

"  Pardieu  !  "  replied  D'Alen9on,  "  a  good  suggestion. 
I  will  send  for  Henry." 

"  No,"  said  Charles,  "  I  will  see  him  myself ;  do  you 
inform  D'Anjou  and  Guise." 

And  quitting  his  apartments,  he  ascended  the  private 
staircase  which  led  to  Henry's  chamber. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

PEOJECTS  OF  VENGEANCE. 

HENRY  had  profited  by  the  moment's  respite  from  the 
examination  he  had  undergone,  to  fly  to  Madame  de  Sauve's. 
There  he  found  Orthon  quite  recovered,  but  the  latter 
could  tell  him  nothing,  except  that  some  armed  men  had 
entered  the  apartment,  and  that  one  of  them  had  struck 
him  with  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 

As  for  Orthon,  no  one  had  taken  any  heed  to  him  : 
Catherine  had  seen  him  senseless,  and  believed  he  was  dead. 
On  coming  to  himself,  in  the  interval  between  her  depart- 
ure and  the  arrival  of  the  captain  of  the  guard,  he  had 
taken  refuge  with  Madame  de  Sauve. 

Henry  besought  Charlotte  to  let  the  young  man  remain 
with  her  until  he  heard  from  De  Mouy,  who  would  cer- 
tainly write  to  him.  He  would  then  despatch  Orthon  to 
him,  and  instead  of  one,  have  two  men,  on  whom  to  rely 
in  any  emergency.  This  plan  formed,  he  had  returned  to 
his  apartment,  and  was  musing  deeply,  when  the  door 
opened,  and  Charles  entered. 

"  Your  majesty  I "  cried  Henry. 


324  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  myself.  Harry,  you  are  an  excellent  fellow,  and  I 
love  you  more  and  more/' 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "you  overwhelm  me." 

"  You  have  but  one  fault." 

"  If  your  majesty  will  explain  yourself,  I  will  seek  to 
correct  it,"  said  Henry,  who  saw  by  the  king's  face  he  was 
in  an  excellent  humor. 

"  It  is,  that  having  good  eyes  you  do  not  use  them." 

"  Bah  ! "  said  Henry  ;  "  am  I,  then,  near-sighted  with- 
out  knowing  it  ?  " 

"  Worse  than  that,  you  are  blind." 

"  If  that  be  so,  will  your  majesty  aid  me  to  recover  my 
sight?" 

"  When  Guise  told  you  last  night  he  saw  your  wife  pass 
with  a  gallant,  you  would  not  believe  it." 

"  Sire,  how  could  I  believe  your  majesty's  sister  would 
commit  such  an  indiscretion  ?  " 

"When  he  told  you  your  wife  had  gone  to  the  Rue 
Cloche-Percee,  you  would  not  believe  that." 

"  I  could  not  suppose  a  princess  of  the  royal  blood  would 
thus  publicly  risk  her  reputation." 

"  When  we  besieged  the  house,  and  I  received  a  silver 
dish  on  my  shoulder,  D'Anjou  a  plate  of  orange  jam  on 
his  head,  and  Guise  a  haunch  of  venison  in  his  face,  did 
you  not  see  two  men  and  two  women  ?  " 

"  I  saw  nothing  " 

"  Eh,  corboBuf!  I  did,  then." 

"  Ah,  if  your  majesty  saw  anything,  that  makes  it  an- 
other thing." 

"  That  is,  I  saw  two  men  and  two  women  ;  one  of  the 
women,  I  am  sure,  was  Margot,  and  one  of  the  men  La 
Mole." 

"  But,"  said  Henry,  "if  M.  de  la  Mole  was  in  the  Rue 
Oloche-PercSe,  he  could  not  be  here." 

"  No,  no,  he  was  not  here  ;  but  never  mind  that,  we 
shall  know  who -was  here  when  that  blockhead  Maureyel 
can  write  or  speak.  The  question  is  touching  Margot, 
who  deceives  you,  and  her  lover,  whom  we  are  going  to 
strangle." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  325 

Henry  started,  and  looked  with  an  air  of  bewilderment 
at  the  king. 

"  You  won't  be  sorry  for  that,  I  know,  Harry.  Margot 
will  cry  like  a  thousand  Niobes,  but  I  won't  have  you 
made  a  fool  of.  Let  D'Anjou  deceive  Conde',  I  do  not 
care  ;  Cond6  is  my  enemy — but  you  are  my  brother,  my 
friend." 

"  But,  sire " 

"  I  will  not  have  you  molested  ;  you  are  deceived,  but 
you  shall  have  such  a  reparation,  that  to-morrow  every 
one  shall  say  '  Mille  noms  d'un  diable  I  The  king  loves 
his  brother  Harry,  for  he  twisted  M.  de  la  Mole's  neck 
finely  or  his  sake  last  night."' 

"Are  yon  quite  resolved,  sire  ?"  asked  Henry. 
'  ?uite ;  we   are  going  on  an   expedition    against  the 
rascal ;  myself,  D'Anjou,  D'Alen9on,  and  Guise.     A  king, 
two  princes  of  the  blood,  and  a  sovereign  prince,  withou 
reckoning  yourself." 

"  How  !  without  reckoning  me  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  will  be  with  us." 

"  But,  sire,  do  you  know  for  certain ?  " 

"  Why,  the  rascal  boasts  of  it.  He  goes  sometimes  to 
see  her  at  the  Louvre,  sometimes  at  the  Rue  Cloche- 
Percee  :  take  a  dagger  with  you." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  upon  reflection,  your  majesty 
will  comprehend  that  I  cannot  take  part  in  this  expedi- 
tion. I  am  too  much  interested  in  it,  not  to  have  my 
presence  ascribed  to  a  desire  of  vengeance.  Your  majesty 
punishes  a  man  who  calumniates  your  sister  ;  and  Margue- 
rite, whom  I  maintain  innocent,  is  not  dishonored  ;  but 
if  I  am  associated  with  it,  my  co-operation  converts  an 
act  of  justice  into  a  murder, — my  wife  is  no  longer  calum- 
niated, she  is  guilty." 

"  Mordieu,  Harry  !  as  1  told  my  mother  just  now,  you 
have  the  quickest  wit  of  all  of  us." 

And  Charles  regarded  his  brother-in-law  complacently. 
Henry  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  the  compliment. 

"  Well,  well,  leave  all  to  me.  It  shall  not  be  the  worse 
executed." 


326  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  I  leave  it  all  in  your  hands." 

"  At  what  time  does  he  usually  go  to  your  wife's  apart- 
ments  ?  " 

"  About  nine  o'clock." 

"  And  at  what  hour  does  he  leave  ?  ** 

"  Before  I  come,  for  I  never  see  him." 

"  What  time  is  that  ?  " 

"About  eleven." 

"  Good  ;  come  down  this  evening  at  midnight,  all  will 
be  over." 

And  Charles,  after  shaking  Henry's  hand,  and  renew- 
ing his  protestations  of  friendship,  left  the  apartment, 
whistling  a  favorite  hunting  air. 

.  Henry  laughed  as  he  could  laugh  when  no  one  was 
there  to  hear  him. 

"  Ventre-saint-gris ! "  said  he,  "I  will  wager  anything 
the  queen-mother  is  at  the  bottom  of  all  this.  She  does 
nothing  but  try  to  get  up  quarrels  between  my  wife  and 
me." 

At  seven  o'clock  the  same  evening,  a  young  man  who 
had  just  left  the  bath,  perfumed  and  attired  himself, 
humming  a  gay  air  the  while.  Beside  him  slept,  or  rather 
reclined  on  the  bed,  another  young  man. 

The  one  was  La  Mole,  the  other  Coconnas. 

"  Where  are  you  going  to-night  ?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"  Where  am  I  going  ?  "  said  La  Mole.  "  I  am  going  to 
the  queen." 

"  Ah,  true  !  I  forgot.     Here  is  your  mantle. " 

"No,  that  is  the  black  ;  I  want  the  cherry  one  ;  the 
queen  prefers  me  in  that." 

"  Ah,  ma  foi  J"  said  Coconnas;  "look  for  yourself  ;  I 
do  not  see  it." 

"  Not  see  it !  "  replied  La  Mole.  "  Where  can  it  be 
then  ?  " 

At  this  moment,  as,  after  having  turned  everything  up- 
Bide  down,  La  Mole  was  beginning  to  abuse  the  thieves 
who  dared  even  rob  in  the  Louvre,  the  door  opened,  and 
a  page  of  the  Duke  d'Alen9ou  appeared  with  the  mantle 
in  question. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  327 

"Ah  !"  said  La  Mole,  "here  it  is." 

"  Yes,  sir,  monseigneur  sent  for  it,  to  decide  a  wager 
about  its  color." 

The  page  retired,  and  La  Mole  clasped  on  his  cloak. 

"  Well,"  said  he  to  Coconnas,  "  what  are  you  going  to 
do?" 

"I  do  not  know." 

"Bah  ;  well,  au  revoir  " 

"  That  La  Mole  is  a  terrible  fellow/'  thought  Coconnas  ; 
"  he's  always  wanting  to  know  where  one  is  going,  as  if  one 
knew  ; "  and  he  composed  himself  to  sleep. 

As  for  La  Mole,  he  betook  himself  to  the  Queen  of 
Navarre's  apartments. 

In  the  corridor  he  met  the  Duke  d'Alen9on. 

"  Ah,  'tis  you,  La  Mole  !  "  said  he. 

"Yes,  monseigneur." 

"  Are  you  going  out  of  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"  No,  your  highness,  I  am  going  to  pay  my  respects  to 
the  Queen  of  Navarre." 

"  At  what  time  shall  you  quit  her  ?  " 

"  Has  monseigneur  any  orders  for  me  ?" 

"No,  but  I  shall  have  this  evening." 

"  At  whathonr?" 

"From  nine  to  ten." 

"  I  will  not  fail  to  wait  on  your  highness." 

"  Well,  I  rely  upon  you." 

La  Mole  bowed,  and  went  on. 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  thought  he,  "  the  duke  is  pale 
sometimes  as  a  corpse." 

And  he  knocked  at  the  door.  Gillonne,  who  seemed  to 
be  watching  his  arrival,  opened  it,  and  conducted  him  to 
the  queen.  Marguerite  was  occupied  with  something  that 
seemed  to  fatigue  her  greatly  ;  a  paper  covered  with  notes, 
and  a  volume  of  Isocrates  lay  before  her.  She  signed  to 
La  Mole  to  let  her  finish  the  sentence  ;  and  then,  casting 
aside  her  pen,  invited  him  to  sit  by  her. 

La  Mole  had  never  seemed  so  handsome  and  so  gay. 

"  Greek  ! "  cried  he,  glancing  at  the  volume  ;  "  Isocrates  ! 
what  are  you  doing  ?  Ah,  and  on  this  paper  Latin — *  Ad 


328  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Sarmatise  legates  reginae  Margaritee  concio,' — you  are  going 
to  harangue  these  barbarians  in  Latin,  then  ?  " 

"  I  must,  since  they  do  not  understand  French.  They 
arrived  this  morning ;  and  you  will  find,"  added  Margue- 
rite with  a  slight  air  of  pedantry,  "  that  what  I  have  writ- 
ten is  Ciceronian  enough  ;  but  let  us  talk  of  what  has  hap- 
pened to  you." 

"  To  me  ?  " 

"  Yes  ! " 

"  What  has  happened  to  me  ?  " 

"  Aye,  what  has  happened  to  you  ? — you  look  pale." 

"  I  confess  it,  but  it  is  from  too  much  sleep." 

"  Come,  come,  do  not  boast,  I  know  all." 

"Tell  me  what  you  mean,  for  I  know  not." 

"  Listen ;  De  Mouy,  surprised  last  night  in  the  apart- 
ments of  the  King  of  Navarre,  whom  they  wished  to  ar- 
rest, killed  three  men,  and  escaped  without  being  recog- 
nized, except  by  the  red  mantle  he  wore." 

«  Well ! " 

"This  red  mantle,  which  deceived  me,  has  deceived 
others  also.  You  are  suspected  of  this  triple  murder. 
This  morning  you  would  have  been  tried  and  condemned, 
for  I  knew  that  you  would  not,  even  to  save  yourself,  say 
where  you  really  were." 

"  Say  where  I  was  ? "  cried  La  Mole ;  "  oh,  never, 
never  !  I  would  have  died  joyfully  to  spare  your  glorious 
eyes  but  one  tear." 

"Alas,  my  poor  friend  ! "  replied  the  queen,  "  my  glori- 
ous eyes  would  have  wept  many,  many  tears  ! " 

"But  how  was  this  storm  appeased  ?" 

"Guess." 

"  I  cannot." 

"There  was  but  one  way  of  proving  you  were  not  in  the 
king's  chamber." 

"And  that  was " 

"  To  say  where  you  were." 

"  Well  ! " 

"  And  I  said  it." 

"To  whom?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  329 

"To  my  mother." 

"  And  Queen  Catherine " 

"  Knows  that  I  love  you." 

"  Oh,  madame,  after  having  done  so  much  for  me,  my 
life  belongs  to  you  ! " 

"  I  have  snatched  it  from  those  who  wished  to  take  it ; 
but  now  you  are  saved." 

* '  Saved  by  you  ! "  cried  the  young  man  ;  "  by  you,  whom 
I  adore " 

At  this  moment,  a  sharp  noise  made  them  both  start. 
La  Mole  recoiled,  and  Marguerite,  uttering  a  cry,  fixed  her 
eyes  on  a  broken  pane  in  the  window.  By  this  pane  a  large 
stone  had  entered,  and  lay  on  the  floor. 

La  Mole  saw  the  broken  window,  and,  comprehending 
the  cause  of  the  noise  : 

"  Who  has  dared  do  this  ?  "  cried  he. 

"  Stay,"  said  Marguerite  ;  "  it  seems  to  me  something 
is  fastened  to  the  stone." 

"  It  looks  like  a  billet,"  replied  La  Mole. 

Marguerite  eagerly  caught  up  the  stone,  round  which 
was  wound  a  slip  of  paper.  The  paper  was  fastened  to 
a  thread  which  passed  out  of  the  window. 

Marguerite  opened  and  read  it. 

"  Oh,  Heavens  !"  cried  she,  holding  out  the  paper,  "  La 
Mole!" 

He  looked  and  read  : 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  is  waited  for  by  long  swords  in  the  cor- 
ridor leading  to  M.  d'Alengon's  apartments  ;  perhaps  he 
would  prefer  leaving  the  Louvre  by  this  window,  and  joining 
M.  de  Mouy  at  Mantes." 

"  But,"  said  La  Mole,  "  are  these  swords  longer  than 
mine  ?  " 

"  No,  but  there  are  perhaps  ten  against  one." 

"  From  whom  comes  this  billet  ?  "  asked  La  Mole. 

Marguerite  looked  attentively  at  it. 

"  The  writing  of  the  King  of  Navarre,"  said  she.  "If 
he  warns  us,  the  danger  is  real — fly,  then,  fly  ! " 

"  How  ?  " 

"  Does  it  not  mention  the  window  ?  " 


830  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Command,  and  I  ivill  leap  from  the  window,  were  it 
twenty  times  as  high  !  " 

"  Stay,"  said  Marguerite,  "  this  string  supports  a 
weight. " 

"  Let  us  see." 

And  both  drawing  towards  them  the  string,  saw  the 
extremity  of  a  ladder  of  silk. 

"  Ah,  you  are  saved/'  said  Marguerite. 

"  It  is  a  miracle  of  Heaven  ! " 

"  No,  it  is  a  gift  of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  What  if  it  were  a  snare  laid  for  me,"  said  La  Mole. 
"  What  if  this  ladder  were  to  break  beneath  me  :  have  you 
not  to-day  avowed  your  love  for  me,  Marguerite  ?  " 

Marguerite,  to  whose  cheeks  joy  had  restored  the  color, 
became  deadly  pale. 

"  You  are  right,"  said  she  ;  "  it  is  possible."  And  she 
darted  towards  the  door. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "  cried  La  Mole. 

"  To  assure  myself  you  are  really  waited  for  on  the  cor- 
ridor." 

"  Never,  lest  their  vengeance  fall  on  you  ! " 

"  What  can  they  do  to  me  ?  A  queen  and  a  woman,  I 
am  doubly  inviolable." 

The  queen  said  this  with  so  much  dignity  that  La  Mole 
felt  she  ran  no  risk,  and  that  it  was  best  to  let  her  do  as 
she  wished.  Marguerite  entrusted  La  Mole  to  Gillonne, 
leaving  it  to  her  sagacity  to  decide,  according  to  circum- 
stances, whether  he  should  fly,  or  await  her  return.  She 
advanced  into  the  corridor  that  led  to  the  library  and  a  suite 
of  reception-rooms,  which  opened  into  the  king's  and 
queen-mother's  apartments,  and  to  the  private  staircase 
leading  to  D'Alenqon's  apartments. 

Although  scarcely  nine,  all  the  lights  were  extinguished, 
and,  except  a  slight  glimmer  at  the  end,  the  corridor  was 
quite  dark.  The  queen  advanced  with  a  firm  step,  but 
arrived  half-way,  she  heard  a  sound  of  voices  whispering, 
and  the  paina  they  took  not  to  be  heard,  gave  them  a  mys- 
terious and  hollow  sound,  but  all  noise  soon  ceased,  f  nd 
the  light,  feeble  as  it  was,  seemed  to  diminish. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  331 

Marguerite  advanced  ;  she  seemed  calm,  but  in  reality 
the  clenching  of  her  hands  showed  violent  nervous  agita- 
tion. As  she  approached  the  lights,  the  silence  seemed  to 
grow  more  intense,  and  a  shadow  like  a  hand  obscured  the 
flickering  ray.  Suddenly,  a  man  sprang  forward,  un- 
covered a  taper,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Here  he  is  !  " 

Marguerite  found  herself  opposite  Charles,  behind  him 
stood  D'Alen9on,  a  cord  of  silk  in  his  hand.  At  the 
back  two  shadows  were  visible,  with  swords  in  their 
hands. 

Marguerite  saw  all  this  at  a  glance,  and  replied,  smil- 
ingly : 

"  You  mean  here  she  is." 

Charles  recoiled  ;  the  rest  stood  motionless. 

"  You  here,  Margot,  at  this  hour  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Is  it,  then,  so  late  ?  " 

"  I  ask  you  where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  To  fetch  one  of  the  volumes  of  Cicero,  left  in  our 
mother's  apartments." 

«  Without  a  light  ?  " 

"  I  thought  the  corridor  was  lighted." 

"And  you  come  from  your  own  apartments  ?" 

"  Yes." 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?  " 

"  Preparing  my  speech  for  the  Polish  ambassadors." 

"  Is  any  one  helping  you  ?  " 

Marguerite  made  a  violent  effort. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,"  replied  she.     "  He  is  very  learned." 

"  So  much  so,"  said  D'Alenc.on,  "  that  I  requested  him 
to  help  me,  as  I  am  not  so  clever  as  you  are." 

"You  are  waiting  for  him  ?" 

"  Yes,"  returned  D'Alen9on,  impatiently. 

"Then,"  said  Marguerite,  " I  will  send  him  to  you." 

"  And  your  book  !  "  said  Charles. 

"  Gillonne  can  fetch  it." 

The  two  brothers  interchanged  a  sign. 

"  Go,  then,"  said  Charles.  "  We  will  continue  our 
round." 

DUMAS — VOL.  111.— 16 


332  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Your  round  ?"  asked  Marguerite — "  whom  are  you 
looking  for,  then  ? " 

"The  little  red  man,"  returned  Charles  ;  "do  not  you 
know  he  is  said  to  haunt  the  Louvre  ?  D'AlenQon  says  he 
has  seen  him,  and  we  are  in  search  of  him." 

"  Success  to  your  chase/'  said  Marguerite. 

In  a  second  she  was  at  her  door. 

"  Open,  Gillonne  ! "  cried  she. 

Gillonne  obeyed. 

Marguerite  sprang  into  the  apartment,  and  found  La 
Mole  resolute  and  calm — his  sword  drawn.  "  Fly  !  "  said 
the  queen  ;  "  fly  instantly  ! — there  is  no  time  to  be  lost  !  " 

During  her  absence,  La  Mole  had  attached  the  ladder, 
and  he  now  stepped  on  it,  after  having  tenderly  embraced 
the  queen. 

"  Should  I  perish,  remember  your  promise  !  "  said  he. 

"  It  is  not  a  promise,  but  an  oath.     Adieu  ! " 

Encouraged  by  these  words,  La  Mole  glided  down  the 
ladder. 

At  this  moment  some  one  knocked  at  the  door. 

Marguerite  did  not  quit  the  window  until  she  had  seen 
La  Mole  reach  the  ground  in  safety. 

"  Madame  !  "  said  Gillonne  ;  "  madame  ! " 

"  Well/' 

"  The  king  is  knocking  at  the  door/' 

"  Open  it." 

Gillonne  did  so. 

The  four  princes,  doubtless  impatient,  stood  at  the 
threshold ;  Charles  entered. 

Marguerite  advanced  to  meet  him. 

The  king  cast  a  rapid  glance  around. 

"  Whom  are  you  seeking  ?  "  asked  the  queen. 

"Whom  am  I  seeking  ?"  said  Charles.  "  Corb&uf!  I 
am  seeking  M.  de  la  Mole/* 

"M.  dela  Mole?" 

"  Yes  !  where  is  he  ?  " 

Marguerite  took  her  brother's  hand,  and  led  him  to  the 
window. 

At  this  moment,  two  men   from  beneath  the  window 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  333 

started  off  on  horseback,  at  full  speed  ;  one  of  them  de- 
tached his  white  satin  scarf,  and  waved  it  in  the  air. 
They  were  La  Mole  and  Orthon. 

Marguerite  pointed  them  out  with  her  finger  to  Charles. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  It  means,"  returned  Marguerite,  "  that  M.  d'Alenqon 
may  put  his  cord  in  his  pocket,  and  MM.  d'Anjou  and 
Guise  may  sheathe  their  swords,  for  M.  de  la  Mole  will 
not  pass  through  the  corridor  to-night." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE   ATRIDES. 

SINCE  his  return  to  Paris,  Henry  d'Anjou  had  not  had 
a  confidential  interview  with  his  mother  Catherine,  of 
whom,  as  everybody  knows,  he  was  the  favorite  son. 

And  Catherine  really  preferred  this  child  for  his  cour- 
age, or  even  more  for  his  beauty.  She  alone  knew  of  his 
return  to  Paris,  of  which  Charles  IX.  would  have  remained 
ignorant  if  chance  had  not  conducted  him  to  the  H6tel  de 
Conde  at  the  moment  when  his  brother  was  quitting  it. 
Charles  had  not  expected  him  until  the  next  day,  and 
Henry  d'Anjou  had  hoped  to  conceal  from  him  the  two 
motives  which  had  hastened  his  arrival  by  a  day,  namely, 
his  visit  to  the  lovely  Marie  de  Cleves,  Princess  de  Conde, 
and  his  conference  with  the  Polish  ambassadors. 

When  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  so  long  expected,  entered  his 
mother's  apartment,  Catherine,  usually  so  cold  and  un- 
moved, and  who,  since  the  departure  of  her  son,  had  em- 
braced no  one  with  warmth  except  Coligny,  who  was  to 
be  murdered  next  day,  opened  her  arms  to  the  child  of  her 
love,  and  pressed  him  to  her  heart  with  an  effusion  of  ma- 
ternal affection  astonishing  to  find  in  that  withered  heart. 

"Ah,  madame,"  said  he,  "since  Heaven  gives  me  the 
satisfaction  of  embracing  my  mother  without  witness, 
pray  console  the  most  wretched  man  in  the  world." 


334  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Eh,  mon  Dieu  !  my  dearest  child/'  cried  Catherine, 
"  what  has  happened  to  yon  ?  " 

"  Nothing  that  you  do  not  know,  mother  ;  I  am  in  love  ; 
I  am  beloved  ;  but  this  very  love,  which  would  form  the 
bliss  of  any  other,  causes  my  misery." 

"  Explain  yourself,  my  son/'  said  Catherine. 

"  Ah  !  mother —  these  ambassadors — this  departure." 

"  Yes,"  said  Catherine,  "  the  ambassadors  have  arrived 
— the  departure  is  nigh  at  hand." 

"  It  need  not  be  nigh  at  hand,  but  my  brother  urges  it ; 
he  hates  me  ;  I  am  in  his  way,  and  he  would  fain  be  rid 
of  me." 

Catherine  smiled. 

"  By  giving  you  a  throne  ? — unhappy  crowned  head  ! " 

"  Oh,  I  need  it  not,  mother,"  replied  Henry,  in  agony  ; 
"  I  do  not  wish  to  go.  I !  a  son  of  France  !  brought  up 
in  the  refinement  of  polished  manners,  beside  a  tender 
mother ;  beloved  by  one  of  the  most  charming  women  on 
earth,  must  I  go,  then,  amidst  snows  at  the  furthest  ex- 
tremity of  the  earth,  to  die  by  inches,  amongst  coarse 
rough  people,  who  are  intoxicated  from  morning  till  night, 
and  gauge  the  capacities  of  their  king  as  they  do  those 
of  a  cask,  according  to  the  quantity  it  can  hold  !  No,  no, 
my  mother,  I  will  not  go  ;  I  will  die  first !  " 

"  Courage,  Henry,"  said  Catherine,  pressing  his  hands 
between  her  own,  "  let  us  inquire  into  the  real  rea- 
son." 

Henry  lowered  his  eyes,  as  if  he  dared  not  let  his  mother 
read  what  was  in  his  heart. 

"  Is  there  no  other  reason,"  she  asked,  "  less  romantic, 
more  reasonable,  more  public  ?  " 

"  Mother,  it  is  not  my  fault  if  this  idea  dwells  in  my 
mind,  and  perchance  retains  a  place  it  should  not  hold  ; 
but  have  you  not  said  yourself  that  the  horoscope  of  my 
brother  Charles  prophesies  that  he  will  die  young  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Catherine,  "  but  a  horoscope  may  lie, 
my  son.  I  myself,  at  this  moment,  hope  that  all  horo- 
scopes are  not  true." 

"  But  did  not  his  horoscope  declare  this  ?" 


MARGUEKITE  DE  VALOIS.  335 

"  His  horoscope  spoke  of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  but  did 
not  say  if  it  were  for  his  life  or  for  his  reign." 

"  Well,  then,  dear  mother,  contrive  that  1  remain  ;  my 
brother  is  nearly  four-and-twenty,  and  another  year  must 
decide." 

Catherine  pondered  deeply.  "  Yes,  assuredly,"  she 
said,  "it  would  be  better  if  it  could  be  so  arranged." 

"Oh,  judge  then,  my  mother,"  cried  Henry,  "  what 
despair  for  me,  if  I  were  to  exchange  the  crown  of  France 
for  the  crown  of  Poland  !  To  be  tormented  there  with 
the  idea  that  I  might  reign  at  the  Louvre,  in  the  midst  of 
this  lettered  and  elegant  court,  near  the  best  mother  in 
the  world,  whose  counsels  would  save  me  one  half  of  my 
fatigue  and  labors,  who,  accustomed  to  bear  with  my 
father  a  portion  of  the  burthen  of  the  state,  would  kindly 
bear  it  also  with  me.  Ah,  my  mother,  I  should  have  been 
a  great  king  ! " 

"  Come,  come,  my  dearest  child,"  said  Catherine,  to 
whom  this  prospect  had  always  been  a  very  sweet  hope, 
"  come,  do  not  despair.  Have  you  thought  of  any  way 
by  which  this  could  be  arranged  ?  " 

"  Yes,  assuredly,  and  that  is  the  principal  reason  why 
I  returned  two  or  three  days  before  I  was  expected,  making 
my  brother  Charles  believe  that  it  was  for  Madame  de 
Conde  ;  then  I  have  formed  an  acquaintance  with  Lasco, 
the  principal  envoy,  doing  all  I  could  to  make  myself  un- 
popular and  disliked,  and  I  hope  I  have  succeeded." 

"Ah,  my  dear  son,"  said  Catherine,  "  that  is  bad  ;  we 
must  always  put  the  interest  of  France  before  your  petty 
dislikes." 

"  Mother,  does  the  interest  of  France  require,  in  case 
of  any  misfortune  happening  to  my  brother  Charles,  that 
D'Alengon  or  the  King  of  Navarre  should  ascend  the 
throne  ? " 

"  Oh,  the  King  of  Navarre  !  Never  !  never  ! "  mur- 
mured Catherine. 

"  Ma  foil "  continued  Henry,  "  my  brother  D'Alen9on 
is  no  better,  and  does  not  love  you  more." 

"  Well,"  asked  Catherine,  "  and  what  said  Lasco  ?" 


336  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Lasco  hesitated  when  I  pressed  him  to  seek  an  au- 
dience. Oh  !  if  he  would  write  to  Poland,  and  annul  the 
election." 

"  Folly,  my  son  ;  very  madness  !  What  a  Diet  has 
consecrated  is  sacred." 

"  But  then,  mother,  could  not  these  Poles  accept  my 
brother  in  my  stead  ?  " 

"  This  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible/' 

"  Never  mind  :  try  ;  speak  to  the  king,  mother  ;  ascribe 
all  to  my  love  for  Madame  de  Cond6  ;  say  I  am  mad,  crazy 
about  her.  He  saw  me,  besides,  leave  the  hotel  of  the 
prince  with  Guise,  who  does  me  every  service  in  that 
quarter." 

'Yes,  in  order  to  make  his  league  ;  you  do  not  perceive 
this  but  I  do." 

"  Yes,  mother,  yes ;  but,  in  the  meantime,  I  make  use 
of  him.  Should  we  not  be  glad  when  a  man  serves  us 
whilst  serving  himself  ?  " 

"  And  what  said  the  king  when  he  met  you  ?  " 

"  He  seemed  to  believe  what  I  told  him,  which  was, 
that  love  only  had  brought  me  back  to  Paris." 

"  But  did  he  not  ask  you  for  any  account  of  the  rest  of 
the  night?" 

"  Yes,  mother  ;  but  I  went  to  sup  at  Nantouillet's 
where  I  made  a  great  riot,  so  that  the  king  might  hear  of 
it,  and  have  no  suspicion  as  to  where  I  was." 

"Then  he  knows  nothing  of  your  visit  to  Lasco  ?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  So  much  the  better.  I  will  try,  then,  to  speak  for  you, 
my  poor  boy  ;  but  you  know  the  intractable  disposition 
of  him  with  whom  I  have  to  deal." 

"  Charles  will  not  allow  me  to  remain.     He  detests  me." 

"  He  is  jealous  of  you,  my  beautiful  hero  !  Why  are 
you  so  brave  and  fortunate  ?  Why,  at  scarcely  twenty 
years  of  age,  have  you  gained  battles  like  Alexander  and 
Caesar  ?  But  do  not  open  your  heart  to  every  one.  Pre- 
tend to  be  resigned,  and  pay  your  court  to  the  king. 
Leave  all  the  rest  to  me.  Apropos,  and  how  succeeded 
your  expedition  of  last  night  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  337 

"  It  failed,  mother.  The  gay  gallant  was  warned,  and 
escaped  by  the  window." 

"  Some  day/'  said  Catherine,  "  I  shall  learn  who  is  the 
bad  genius  who  thus  counteracts  all  my  projects.  In  the 
meanwhile,  I  have  my  suspicion.  Malediction  be  on 
him  ! " 

"Then,  mother "  said  the  Duke  d'Anjou. 

"  Leave  me  to  manage  all  ; "  and  kissing  Henry  tenderly, 
he  left  the  apartment. 

The  princes  of  the  house  then  arrived.  Charles  was  in 
a  capital  humor  •  for  the  assurance  of  his  sister  Marguerite 
had  rather  pleased  than  vexed  him.  He  felt  no  offense 
against  La  Mole  otherwise,  and  had  awaited  him  with 
some  ardor  in  the  corridor,  simply  becaus^  it  was  a  kind 
of  chase. 

D'Alenc,on,  on  the  other  hand,  was  much  preoccupied. 
The  repulsion  he  had  always  felt  for  La  Mole  had  changed 
into  hate  from  the  moment  he  knew  that  he  was  beloved 
by  his  sister.  Marguerite  was,  at  the  same  time,  medi- 
tative and  alert.  She  had  to  remember  and  to  watch. 
The  Polish  deputies  had  sent  a  copy  of  the  harangues  to 
be  pronounced. 

Marguerite,  to  whom  no  more  mention  had  been  made 
of  the  occurrences  of  the  previous  evening,  than  if  they 
had  never  taken  place,  read  the  discourses  ;  and  except 
Charles,  every  one  discussed  what  the  replies  should  be. 
Charles  allowed  Marguerite  to  reply  as  she  pleased.  He 
was  somewhat  difficult  in  his  choice  of  words  for  D'Alen- 
c, on ;  but  as  to  the  discourse  of  Henry  d'Anjou,  he 
attacked  it  bitterly,  and  made  endless  corrections  and 
additions. 

This  meeting,  without  having  any  decisive  issue,  tended 
to  envenom  the  feelings  of  all.  Henry  d'Anjou,  who  had 
to  rewrite  nearly  all  his  discourse,  went  out  to  perform 
his  task.  Marguerite,  who  had  not  heard  of  the  King  of 
Navarre  since  he  had  broken  her  window  pane,  went  to 
his  apartment,  in  the  hope  of  finding  him  there.  D'Alen- 
c,on,  who  had  read  the  hesitation  in  his  brother  D'Anjou's 
eyes,  and  surprised  a  meaning  look  between  him  and  his 


338  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

mother,  withdrew  to  ponder  over  what  might  be  the  fresh 
plot.  Charles  was  going  to  his  forge  to  finish  a  boar- 
spear  he  was  making  for  himself,  when  Catherine  stopped 
him. 

Charles,  who  expected  some  opposition  to  his  will  from 
his  mother,  paused,  and  gazed  sternly  on  her. 

"  Well/'  said  he,  "  and  what  now  ?  " 

"  One  other  word,  sire  :  we  had  forgotten  it,  and  yet  it 
is  of  much  importance.  What  day  do  you  fix  for  the 
public  reception  ?  " 

" True  I"  said  the  king,  seating  himself  ;  "let  us  talk 
it  over,  mother.     Well,  what  day  shall  it  be  ?" 
.    "  I  think,"  replied  Catherine,  "  that  in  your  majesty's 
silence,  your  apparent  forgetfulness,  there  was  something 
of  deep  calculation." 

"Why  so,  mother?" 

"  Because/'  added  the  queen-mother,  very  quietly, 
"  there  is  no  need,  my  son,  as  it  appears  to  me,  that  the 
Poles  should  see  us  crave  their  crown  with  such  avidity." 

"  On  the  contrary,  mother,"  said  Charles,  "they  have 
hastened,  by  forced  marches,  from  Warsaw  hither.  Honor 
for  honor — politeness  for  politeness  !  " 

"  Your  majesty  may  be  right  in  one  sense,  as  in  another 
I  am  not  wrong.  Your  opinion  then  is,  that  the  public 
reception  should  be  hastened  ?  " 

"  Certainly  ;  and  is  it  not  yours  also  ?  " 

"  Yon  know  that  I  have  no  opinions  but  such  as  are 
connected  with  your  glory  :  and  I  tell  you  then,  that  thus 
hastening  the  affair,  I  should  fear  that  you  might  be  ac- 
cused of  profiting  very  quickly  by  this  occasion  which 
presents  itself  for  relieving  France  of  the  costs  and  charges 
of  your  brother ;  but  which  assuredly  he  repays  by  ren- 
dering it  back  in  glory  and  devotion." 

"  Mother,"  said  Charles,  "  when  my  brother  leaves 
France,  I  will  so  richly  endow  him  that  no  one  will  even 
dare  to  think  that  yon  fear  what  they  may  say " 

"  Well,"  said  Catherine,  "  I  give  up,  since  yon  have 
such  good  answers  to  all  my  objections  ;  but  to  receive 
this  warlike  people,  who  judge  of  the  power  of  states  from 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  339 

exterior  signs,  you  must  have  a  considerable  display  of 
troops ;  and  I  do  not  think  that  there  are  yet  enough 
assembled  in  the  Ile-de- France  ?" 

"  Excuse  me,  mother,  but  I  had  foreseen  this  event, 
and  was  prepared  for  it.  I  have  recalled  two  battalions 
from  Normandy  ;  one  from  Guienne  :  my  company  of 
archers  arrived  yesterday  from  Brittany  :  the  light  horss 
spread  over  Lorraine  will  be  in  Paris  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  and,  whilst  it  is  supposed  that  I  can  scarcely  com- 
mand four  regiments,  I  have  twenty  thousand  men  ready 
to  appear/' 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  Catherine,  surprised,  "  then  there  is 
only  one  thing  wanting  ;  but  that  you  will  procure." 

"  What  is  that  ?" 

"  Money  ;  I  imagine  you  have  not  a  superabundance." 

"  On  the  contrary,  madame,  on  the  contrary,"  said 
Charles  IX. ;  "  I  have  fourteen  hundred  thousand  crowns 
in  the  Bastille  :  my  private  estates  have  this  week  brought 
me  in  eight  hundred  thousand  crowns,  which  I  have 
buried  in  my  cellars  in  the  Louvre  ;  and  in  case  of  need, 
Nantouillet  has  three  hundred  thousand  crowns  besides, 
at  my  disposal." 

Catherine  trembled  ;  for  she  had  before  seen  Charles 
violent  and  passionate,  but  never  provident. 

"Well,  then,"  she  added,  "your  majesty  thinks  of 
everything — admirable  !  and  if  the  tailors,  embroiderers, 
and  jewelers  use  despatch,  your  majesty  will  be  ready  to 
give  this  audience  in  less  than  six  weeks." 

"  Six  weeks  !  "  exclaimed  Charles,  "  why,  mother,  the 
tailors,  embroiderers,  and  jewelers,  have  been  hard  at 
work  since  the  day  when  they  learnt  of  my  brother's 
nomination,  and  all  may  be  ready  to-day,  perhaps,  but 
certainly  in  three  or  four  days." 

"  Ah,"  murmured  Catherine ;  "  you  are  in  greater 
haste  than  I  thought,  my  son." 

"  Honor  for  honor,  as  I  have  already  said." 

"  Good ;  then  it  is  this  honor  done  to  the  house  of 
France  that  flatters  you — is  it  not  ?  " 

"  Assuredly." 


340  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And  to  see  a  son  of  France  on  the  throne  of  Poland 
is  your  chief  desire  ?  " 

"  Precisely  so." 

"  Then  it  is  the  fact,  and  not  the  man,  that  affects  you, 
and  whoever  may  reign  there " 

1 '  No,  no,  mother,  corbceuf!  no.  Let  us  be  as  we  are  ! 
The  Poles  have  made  a  good  choice — they  are  skilful, 
clever  fellows  !  A  military  nation,  a  people  of  soldiers, 
they  take  a  captain  for  their  ruler.  Peste  ! — D'Anjou  is 
their  man.  The  hero  of  Jarnac  and  Moncontour  suits 
them  like  a  glove.  Whom  would  you  have  me  send  them  ? 
D'AlenQon — a  coward  ! — he  would  give  them  a  fine  idea  of 
the  house  of  Valois !  D'Alenqon  would  flee  the  very  first 
ball  that  whistled  by  his  ears,  whilst  Henry  d'Anjou  is  a 
warrior  bold  and  tried  ;  his  sword  always  in  his  hand,  al- 
ways on  the  march,  on  his  war-horse  or  on  foot.  Forward 
— cut  down,  thrust,  crush,  slay  !  Ah,  he  is  a  brave  and 
skilful  man,  my  brother  D'Anjou  :  a  gallant  soldier,  wholl 
give  them  fighting  from  morning  till  night — from  the  first 
of  January  to  the  thirty-first  of  December  !  He  is  not  a 
hard  drinker,  it  is  true ;  but  he  will  do  his  work  in  cold 
blood,  you  see.  He  will  be  in  his  element,  dear  Henry 
will  ! — On  !  on  !  to  the  field  of  battle !  bravo,  trumpets 
and  drums  !  Vive  le  roi !  Long  live  the  conqueror  I 
Long  live  the  general  !  They  will  proclaim  him  emperor 
three  times  a-year  !  This  will  be  admirable  for  the  house 
of  France  and  the  honor  of  the  Valois  !  he  may  be  killed 
perchance,  but  ventre-mahom !  it  will  be  a  glorious 
death!" 

Catherine  shuddered,  but  her  eyes  glanced  fire. 

"  Say,"  she  cried,  "  that  you  wish  to  send  your  brother, 
Henry  d'Anjon  away.  Say  you  do  not  love  your  brother." 

"  Ah,  ah,  ah  !  "  exclaimed  Charles,  laughing  nervously  ; 
"  what,  have  you  divined  that  I  wished  to  send  him  away  ? 
Have  yon  divined  that  I  do  not  love  him  ?  And  suppose 
it  were  so  ?  Love  my  brother  ! — why  should  I  love  my 
brother  ?  Ah,  ah,  ah,  would  you  make  me  laugh  ?  "  and 
as  he  spoke,  his  pale  cheeks  were  animated  with  feverish 
red.  "  Does  he  love  me  ?  Do  you  love  me  ?  Is  there, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  341 

except  my  dogs,  Marie  Touchet,  and  my  nurse,  is  there 
one  living  thing  that  has  ever  loved  me  ?  No,  no,  I  do 
not  love  my  brother  ;  I  love  only  myself — do  you  under- 
stand ?  and  I  do  not  prevent  my  brother  from  doing  as  I 
do." 

"  Sire/*  said  Catherine,  becoming  animated  in  her  turn, 
"  since  you  unfold  your  heart  to  me,  I  must  open  mine  to 
you.  You  act  like  a  weak  king — like  an  ill-advised  king  : 
you  send  away  your  second  brother,  the  natural  support 
of  your  throne,  who  is,  in  all  respects,  fit  to  succeed  you, 
if  and  misfortune  happened  to  you — leaving,  in  this  event, 
your  crown  in  jeopardy  ;  for,  as  you  said,  D'Alengon  is 
young,  incapable,  weak — more  than  weak — cowardly  !  and 
the  Bearnais  is  waiting  in  the  background  !  " 

"  We\l,mort  de  tout  les  diables  !  "  cried  Charles,  "  what 
is  that  to  me  when  I  am  dead  ?  The  Bearnais  is  waiting 
in  the  background,  say  you  ?  Corbceuf 7  so  much  the 
better  !  I  said  I  loved  no  one — I  was  wrong  :  I  love 
Harry — yes,  I  love  the  good  Harry,  with  his  free  air  and 
his  warm  hand,  whilst  I  see  around  me  none  but  false 
eyes,  and  touch  none  but  ice-cold  hands.  He  is  incapa- 
ble of  treason  towards  me,  I  will  swear  !  Besides,  I  owe 
a  recompense  :  they  poisoned  his  mother,  poor  fellow  ; 
some  persons  of  my  family,  too,  it  is  said.  Besides,  I  am 
in  good  health  ;  but  if  I  felt  sick,  I  would  send  for  him, 
and  he  should  not  quit  my  side  •  I  would  take  nothing 
but  from  his  hand  ;  and,  should  I  die,  I  would  make  him 
King  of  France  and  Navarre,  and,  venire  dupape!  instead 
of  laughing  at  my  death,  as  my  brother  would  do,  he  would 
weep,  or  at  least  appear  to  do  so." 

Had  a  thunderbolt  fallen  at  Catherine's  feet,  she  would 
have  been  less  alarmed  than  at  these  words.  She  remained 
aghast,  looking  at  Charles  with  a  haggard  eye  ;  and  then, 
at  the  end  of  a  few  seconds,  she  cried  : 

"  Henry  of  Navarre !  Henry  of  Navarre,  King  of 
France,  to  the  prejudice  of  my  children  !  Ah,  sainte  Ma- 
dona  !  we  will  see  !  It  is  for  this  you  would  send  away 
my  son  of  Anjou  ?  " 

"  Your  son  !  and  what,  then,  am  I — a  son  of  the  wolf, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

like  Romulus  ?  "  cried  Charles,  trembling  with  rage,  and 
his  eye  sparkling  as  if  it  were  on  fire.  "  Your  son  !  You 
are  right ;  and  the  King  of  France,  then,  is  not  your  son  ? 
The  King  of  France  has  no  brothers ;  the  King  of  France 
has  no  mother  ;  the  King  of  France  has  no  subjects  !  the 
King  of  France  has  no  need  of  sentiment — he  has  will. 
He  can  do  without  being  loved,  but  he  will  be  obeyed  ! " 

"  Sire,  you  have  mistaken  my  words.  I  called  him  my 
son  who  is  about  to  leave  me.  I  love  him  better  at  this 
moment,  because  I  fear  to  lose  him  at  this  moment.  Is  it 
a  crime  for  a  mother  to  desire  that  her  son  should  not 
leave  her  ?  " 

"  And  I — I  tell  you  he  shall  leave  you.  I  tell  you  he 
shall  leave  France,  and  go  to  Poland,  and  that  in  two 
days — and  if  you  add  one  word,  in  one  day — to-morrow ; 
and  if  you  do  not  smooth  your  brow,  and  lose  the  menace 
that  glares  in  your  eyes,  I  will  strangle  him  to-night,  as 
you  would  have  strangled  your  daughter's  lover  yester- 
night ;  only  I  will  not  miss  my  clutch  of  him  as  we  did  of 
La  Mole." 

At  this  threat  Catherine  bent  down  her  head,  and  then 
again  instantly  raised  it. 

"  Ah,  poor  child  1 "  she  said,  "  your  brother  would  kill 
you  ;  but  be  tranquil,  your  mother  will  defend  yon." 

"  Do  you  brave  me  ?"  cried  Charles.  "  Well,  then,  by 
all  the  devils  !  he  shall  die — not  this  evening,  but  this  very 
moment.  A  weapon  !  a  weapon  !  a  dagger  !  knife  ! — ah  ! " 

Charles,  after  having  vainly  sought  all  around  for  what 
he  asked  for,  saw  the  small  stiletto  which  his  mother  wore 
at  her  girdle,  seized  it,  drew  it  from  its  shagreen  and  sil- 
ver case,  and  rushed  out  of  the  chamber,  with  the  deter- 
mination of  striking  Henry  d'Anjou  wherever  he  found 
him ;  but  on  reaching  the  vestibule,  his  over-excited 
strength  gave  way  suddenly,  and,  extending  his  arm,  he 
let  fall  the  keen  weapon,  which  stuck  in  the  floor,  and 
littering  a  lamentable  cry,  he  swooned  and  fell  on  the  floor, 
whilst  the  blood  flowed  abundantly  from  his  nose  and  his 
month. 

"  Help  ! "  he  cried ;  "  they  kill  me  J  help  I  help  I " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  343 

Catherine,  who  had  followed,  saw  him  fall,  looked  at 
him  for  au  instant  without  moving  or  calling,  and  then 
recalled  to  herself,  not  by  maternal  instinct,  but  by  the 
difficulty  of  her  situation,  she  opened  a  door,  and  shrieked 
out : 

"  The  king  is  taken  ill.     Help  !  help  !  " 

At  this  cry,  a  crowd  of  servants,  officers,  and  courtiers, 
hastened  to  the  young  king  ;  but  foremost  of  all  a  woman 
rushed  on,  pushing  aside  the  crowd,  and  raised  Charles, 
who  was  as  pale  as  a  corpse. 

''They  are  killing  me,  nurse — they  are  killing  me  ! " 
murmured  the  king,  bathed  in  perspiration  and  blood. 

"  They  are  killing  my  Charles  ! "  cried  the  good  creature, 
looking  every  one  in  the  face  in  a  way  that  made  even 
Catherine  retreat  ;  "  and  who  is  killing  you  ?  " 

Charles  uttered  a  sigh,  and  again  fainted. 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  said  the  doctor,  Ambroise  Pare,  whom  they 
had  sent  for  ;  "  ah  !  the  king  is  very  ill." 

"Now,  by  choice  of  compulsion,"  said  the  implacable 
Catherine  to  herself,  "he  must  accede  to  a  delay  :"  and 
she  left  the  king  to  go  to  her  second  son,  who  was  awaiting 
in  the  oratory  the  result  of  an  interview  so  vitally  impor- 
tant to  himself. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

THE   HOROSCOPE. 

ON  leaving  the  oratory,  in  which  her  son  had  been  ac- 
quainted with  what  had  passed,  Catherine  found  Rene  in 
her  chamber. 

"  Well,"  asked  the  queen,  "  have  you  seen  him  ?" 

"Yes." 

"How  is  he?" 

"Rather  better." 

"  Can  he  speak  ?  " 

"No,  the  sword  has  traversed  the  larynx.' 


344  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"I  told  you  to  make  him  write.'' 

"  I  tried,  but  he  could  only  trace  two  letters,  and  then 
fainted  ;  the  jugular  vein  has  been  cut  into,  and  the  loss 
of  blood  has  greatly  weakened  him." 

"  Have  you  seen  these  letters  ?" 

"Here  they  are." 

Rene  took  a  paper  from  his  pocket,  and  presented  it  to 
the  queen,  who  hastily  opened  it. 

"An  m  and  an  o,'"  said  she.  "  Can  it  be,  after  all,  M. 
de  la  Mole — and  that  the  confession  of  Marguerite's  was 
only  to  avert  suspicion  ?  v 

"  Madame,"  returned  Rene,  "  if  I  may  venture  an  opin- 
ion, I  should  say  M.  de  la  Mole  is  too  much  in  love  to 
trouble  his  head  about  politics  ;  and,  above  all,  too  much 
in  love  with  Madame  Marguerite  to  serve  her  husband  very 
devotedly,  for  there  is  no  deep  love  without  jealousy." 

"  You  think  him  in  love,  then  ?  " 

"Desperately." 

"  Has  he  had  recourse  to  you  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  made  him  a  waxen  image." 

"  Pierced  to  the  heart  ?  " 

"To  the  heart." 

"  Have  you  it  still  ?  " 

"  At  my  house." 

"I  wonder,"  said  Catherine,  "if  these  cabalistic  prep- 
arations have  really  the  power  attributed  to  them  ?  " 

"  Your  majesty  knows  even  more  than  I  what  their 
influence  is." 

"  Does  Marguerite  love  La  Mole  ?  " 

"  Sufficiently  to  ruin  herself  for  him.  Yesterday  she 
saved  him  at  the  risk  of  her  honor  and  her  life  ;  you  see  all 
this,  and  yet  you  doubt." 

"  Doubt  what  ?  " 

"  Science." 

"I  doubt  because  science  has  deceived  me,"  looking 
fixedly  at  Rene". 

"  On  what  occasion  ?  " 

"  Ren6,  have  your  perfumes  lost  their  odor  ?" 

"  No,  madame  ;  not  when  I  prepare  them." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  34.5 

"Well,  well,"  said  Catherine,  "we  will  speak  of  that 
some  other  time.  Tell  me  what  is  necessary  to  arrive  at 
an  idea  of  the  probable  length  of  a  person's  life  ?" 

"  To  know,  first,  the  day  of  his  birth,  his  age,  and  what 
constellation  he  was  born  under. " 

"Next?" 

"  To  have  some  of  his  blood  and  hair." 

"  If  I  bring  and  tell  you  all  you  require,  can  you  tell  me 
the  probable  time  of  his  death  ?  " 

"  Yes  within  a  few  days." 

"  I  have  his  hair,  and  I  will  procure  some  of  his  blood." 

"  Was  he  born  in  the  day,  or  during  the  night  ?  " 

"  At  twenty-three  minutes  past  five  in  the  evening." 

"  Be  with  me  to-morrow  at  five  o'clock  ;  the  experiment 
must  be  made  at  the  precise  hour  of  the  birth." 

"  Good  ! "  said  Catherine.     "  We  will  be  there." 

Ren6  saluted,  and  retired  without  affecting  to  notice  the 
"  toe,"  which  indicated  that,  contrary  to  her  usual  habits 
the  queen  would  not  come  alone. 

The  next  morning,  at  daybreak,  Catherine  entered  her 
son  Charles's  apartment ;  she  had  inquired  after  him  at 
midnight,  and  was  informed  that  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare 
was  with  him,  and  intended  bleeding  him  if  the  same 
nervous  agitation  continued.  Shuddering  even  in  his 
slumbers,  pale  from  loss  of  blood,  Charles  slept,  his  head 
resting  on  his  faithful  nurse's  shoulder,  who,  leaning 
against  the  bed,  had  not  changed  her  position  for  three 
hours,  fearing  to  disturb  him. 

Catherine  asked  if  her  son  had  not  been  bled.  The 
nurse  replied  he  had,  and  so  abundantly  that  he  had  twice 
fainted. 

The  blood  was  in  a  basin  in  the  adjoining  room  ;  Cath- 
erine entered,  under  pretense  of  examining  it,  and  whilst 
so  doing,  she  filled  with  it  a  phial  she  had  brought  with 
her  for  the  purpose,  then  returned,  hiding  her  red  fingers, 
that  would  otherwise  have  betrayed  her,  in  her  pockets. 

As  she  reappeared,  Charles  opened  his  eyes,  and  per- 
ceived his  mother  ;  then,  recollecting  the  events  of  the 
previous  evening,  "  Ah  !  it  is  you,  madame,"  said  he ; 


346  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"well,  you  may  tell  your  dear  son,  Henry  d'Anjou,  it 
will  be  to-morrow." 

"  It  shall  be  when  you  please,  my  dear  Charles  ;  com- 
pose yourself,  and  go  to  sleep." 

Charles  closed  his  eyes,  and  Catherine  left  the  room, 
but  no  sooner  had  she  quitted  it,  than  Charles,  raising 
himself,  cried,  "  Send  for  the  chancellor — the  court — I 
want  them  all !  " 

The  nurse  replaced  his  head  upon  her  shoulder,  and 
sought  to  lull  him  to  sleep. 

"  No,  no,  nurse  !  "  said  he,  "  I  shall  not  sleep  any  more. 
Summon  my  people  ;  I  wish  to  work  to-day." 

When  Charles  spoke  thus,  no  one  dared  disobey,  and 
even  the  nurse,  spite  of  the  familiarity  she  enjoyed,  did 
not  venture  to  dispute  his  orders.  The  chancellor  was 
summoned,  and  the  audience  fixed,  not  for  the  morrow, 
but  for  the  fifth  day  from  that  time. 

At  five  o'clock,  the  queen  and  the  Duke  d'Anjou  pro- 
ceeded to  Rene's,  who,  in  expectation  of  their  visit,  had 
prepared  everything  for  the  experiment.  In  the  chamber 
on  the  right,  that  is,  in  the  chamber  of  sacrifice,  a  blade 
of  steel,  covered  with  singular  arabesques,  was  heating  in 
a  brazier  of  charcoal.  On  the  altar  lay  the  book  of  fate, 
and  as  the  previous  night  had  been  very  clear,  Ren6  had 
been  enabled  to  consult  the  stars. 

Henry  d'Anjou  entered  first.  He  had  false  hair,  and  his 
face  and  figure  were  concealed  beneath  a  mask  and  large 
cloak.  His  mother  followed  him,  and  had  she  not  been 
aware  of  his  disguise,  would  not  have  recognized  him. 
The  queen  took  off  her  mask  ;  D'Anjon,  however,  did  not 
follow  her  example. 

"  Have  you  consulted  the  stars  ?  "  asked  Catherine. 

"  I  have,  madame,  and  they  have  already  informed  me 
of  the  past.  The  person  whose  fate  you  desire  to  know 
has,  like  all  persons  born  nnder  Cancer,  a  fiery  and  ardent 
disposition  ;  he  is  powerful,  he  has  lived  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century$  Heaven  has  granted  him  wealth  and  power — 
is  it  not  so,  madame  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  347 

"  Have  you  his  hair  and  blood  ?" 

"  Here  they  are." 

And  Catherine  gave  the  magician  a  lock  of  fair  hair  and 
a  small  phial  of  blood. 

Ren6  took  the  phial,  shook  it,  and  let  fall  on  the  glow- 
ing steel  blade  a  large  drop  of  blood  that  boiled  for  a 
second,  and  then  spread  itself  into  a  thousand  fantastic 
shapes. 

"Oh"  cried  Rene," I  see  him  convulsed  with  agony. 
Hark  !  how  he  groans —  see,  how  all  around  him  turns  to 
blood — see  how,  around  his  death-bed,  combats  and  wars 
arise  ;  and  see,  here  are  the  lances  and  swords  ! " 

"  Will  this  be  long  first  ?"  asked  Catherine,  seizing  the 
hand  of  her  son,  who,  in  his  anxiety  to  see,  had  leaned 
over  the  brazier. 

Ren6  approached  the  altar,  and  repeated  a  cabalistic 
prayer  ;  then  he  rose,  and  announcing  all  was  ready,  took 
in  one  hand  the  phial  and  in  the  other  the  lock  of  hair,  and 
bidding  Catherine  open  at  hazard  the  book  of  fate,  he 
poured  on  the  steel  blade  all  the  blood  and  cast  the  hair 
in  the  fire,  pronouncing  a  mystic  formula  as  he  did  so. 

Instantly  the  Duke  d'Anjou  and  Catherine  saw  on  the 
blade  a  figure  resembling  a  corpse  wrapped  in  a  winding- 
sheet. 

Another  figure,  that  of  a  woman,  leaned  over  it. 

At  the  same  time,  the  hair  burned,  casting  out  one 
jet  of  flame  like  a  fiery  tongue. 

"  A  year,"  cried  Rene,  "  scarce  a  year,  and  this  man 
shall  die  !  One  woman  alone  shall  lament  over  him  ;  and 
yet,  no  :  at  the  end  of  the  blade  is  another  female,  with 
an  infant  in  her  arms." 

Catherine  looked  at  her  son,  as  if,  though  herself  the 
mother  of  the  man  whose  death  was  announced,  she  would 
ask  him  who  these  two  women  could  be.  But  scarcely 
had  Rene  finished,  when  the  forms  disappeared.  Then 
Catherine  opened  the  book  at  hazard,  and  read, with  a  voice 
that  trembled  in  spite  of  herself  the  following  distich: 

"  Ainsi  a  peri  cil  que  1'on  redoutoi., 
Plutost,  trop  tost,  si  prudence  n'etoit." 


348  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And  for  him  that  you  wot  of,"  said  Catherine,  "  what 
say  the  signs  ?  " 

"  Favorable  as  ever ;  unless  Providence  interpose  to 
thwart  his  destiny,  he  is  sure  to  be  fortunate,  but " 

"But  what  I" 

"  One  of  the  stars  composing  his  pleiad  was  covered  by 
a  black  cloud  during  my  observations." 

"Ah,  a  black  cloud  !— but  there  is  some  hope  ?" 

"  Of  whom  speak  you,  madame  ?"  asked  D'Anjon. 

Catherine  drew  her  son  on  one  side,  and  spoke  to  him 
in  a  low  voice. 

During  this  interval,  Rene,  kneeling  by  the  brazier, 
poured  into  the  hollow  of  his  hand  the  last  drop  of  blood. 

"  Strange,"  murmured  he.  "  It  only  proves  how  little 
can  human  knowledge  compete  with  ours.  To  every  one 
but  me,  even  to  Ambroise  Pare,  this  blood,  so  pure,  so 
full  of  health,  promises  years  of  life,  and  yet  all  will  be 
useless  ere  a  year  expire." 

Catherine  and  Henry  turned  and  listened. 

"Ah  \"  continued  Rene,  "to  the  uninitiated  the  pres- 
ent is  manifest,  but  to  us  the  future  is  also  manifest." 

"  He  will  die,  then,  before  the  year  be  over  ?  "  said  the 
queen-mother. 

"  As  surely  as  there  are  three  persons  present  who  must 
one  day  repose  in  the  grave." 

"Yet  you  say  the  blood  indicates  a  long  life  ?" 

"  Yes,  if  things  were  to  follow  the  natural  course  ;  but 
an  accident " 

"  Ah,  yes,"  whispered  Catherine  to  Henry  ;  "  an  ac- 
cident." 

"  The  greater  reason  for  staying." 

"  Oh,  that  is  impossible." 

Then,  turning  to  Rene  :  "  Thanks,"  said  the  young 
man,  disguising  the  tone  of  his  voice  ;  "  take  this 
purse." 

"  Come,  count"  said  Catherine,  purposely  using  this 
title,  to  divert  Renews  suspicions.  And  they  left  the 
chamber. 

"  Mother,"  cried  Henry,   "  you  hear  ? — an  accident : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  349 

should    it    happen,   I  shall   be    four    hundred    leagues 

away." 

"Four  hundred  leagues  may  be  accomplished  in  eight 

days." 

"  Yes ;  but  who  knows  if  they  will  suffer  me  to  re- 
turn." 

"  Who  knows,"  replied  the  queen,  ' '  but  this  illness  of 
the  king's  may  be  the  accident  of  which  Een6  spoke.  Go, 
Henry,  go,  and  beware  of  irritating  your  brother,  should 
you  see  him." 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

MUTUAL   CONFIDENCES. 

THE  first  thing  the  Duke  d'Anjou  learned  on  reaching 
the  Louvre  was,  that  the  solemn  entry  of  the  ambassadors 
was  fixed  for  the  fifth  day.  The  tailors  and  jewelers 
waited  on  the  prince  with  magnificent  dresses  and  superb 
ornaments  which  the  king  had  ordered  for  him. 

Whilst  he  fitted  them  on  in  a  state  of  anger  that  brought 
tears  to  his  eyes,  Henry  of  Navarre  was  amusing  himself 
greatly  with  a  splendid  collar  of  emeralds,  a  gold-hilted 
sword,  and  a  very  valuable  ring,  which  Charles  had  sent 
him  that  morning. 

D'Alen9on  had  just  received  a  letter,  and  had  retired  to 
his  chamber,  in  order  to  read  it  at  his  leisure. 

As  to  Coconnas,  he  was  asking  for  his  friend  from  every 
echo  in  the  Louvre.  At  length,  the  rumor  of  the  affair 
in  the  corridor  began  to  be  bruited  about.  Coconnas  was 
in  the  utmost  grief  :  for  a  moment  he  believed  that  all 
these  kings  and  princes  had  killed  his  friend  and  thrown 
his  body  into  some  dungeon. 

He  learned  that  D'Alengon  had  been  of  the  party,  and 
overlooking  the  dignity  that  encompassed  a  prince  of  the 
blood,  he  went  to  him  to  demand  an  explanation  with  as 
little  ceremony  as  if  he  had  been  a  private  gentleman. 

D'Alen9on,  at  first,  was  inclined  to  show  the  door  to  an 
impertinent  who  came  to  ask  an  account  of  his  actions  ; 


850  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

but  Coconnas  spoke  so  sternly,  his  eyes  glared  with  so 
much  rage,  and  an  adventure  of  three  duels  in  less  than 
twenty  hours  which  he  had  had,  placed  the  Piedmontese 
so  high,  that  he  paused,  and  instead  of  giving  way  to  his 
first  impulse,  replied  with  a  charming  smile: 

"  My  dear  Coconnas,  it  is  true  that  the  king,  furious  at 
having  received  on  his  shoulder  a  silver  ewer,  the  Duke 
d'Anjou,  angry  at  having  orange  jam  poured  on  his  head, 
and  the  Duke  de  Guise,  humiliated  by  having  been  as- 
sailed with  a  haunch  of  venison,  combined  to  kill  M.  de 
la  Mole  ;  but  a  friend  of  your  friend's  averted  the  blow, 
and  I  assure  you  the  enterprise  failed." 

"  Ah,"  said  Coconnas,  breathing  as  loudly  at  this  in- 
formation as  a  smith's  bellows  ;  "  ah,  mordi!  monseigneur, 
that  is  well ;  and  I  should  like  to  know  this  friend,  to 
prove  my  gratitude." 

D'Alenc.on  made  no  reply,  but  smiled  more  agreeably 
still,  which  made  Coconnas  believe  that  this  friend  was 
none  other  than  the  prince  himself. 

"  Well,  monseigneur,"  he  continued,  "  since  you  have 
done  so  much  as  to  tell  me  the  commencement  of  this 
story,  will  you  complete  the  obligation  by  relating  to  me 
the  conclusion  ?" 

D'Alen9on  shook  his  head. 

"  The  worst  of  all,"  he  said,  "  my  brave  Coconnas,  is, 
that  your  friend  disappeared  without  any  one  knowing 
whither." 

"Mordi!"  cried  the  Piedmontese,  again  turning  pale 
with  indignation  ;  "  but  I  will  know  where  he  is  ! " 

"  Go  to  the  Queen  Marguerite."  said  D'Alen^on  who 
was  as  anxious  as  Coconnas  to  learn  where  De  la  Mole 
was  ;  "  she  will  know  what  has  become  of  the  friend  you 
lament/' 

"  I  had  already  thought  of  doing  so,"  replied  Oo- 
connas. 

"  Do  so,"  added  the  prince  ;  "  only  do  not  say  it  wa*  by 
my  advice  ;  for  if  you  are  so  imprudent,  you  may  not 
obtain  any  information." 

"  Monseigneur,"  said  Coconnas,   "as  your -royal  high- 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  351 

ness  recommends  me  to  secrecy  on  this  point,  I  will  be  as 
mute  as  a  tench,  or  the  queen-mother.  Good  prince  !  ex- 
cellent prince  !  magnanimous  prince  !  "  murmured  Cocon- 
nas,  as  he  went  to  the  Queen  of  Navarre. 

Marguerite  was  awaiting  Coconnas  ;  for  the  noise  of  his 
despair  had  reached  her,  and  she  almost  forgave  him  his 
somewhat  coarse  behavior  to  Madame  de  Nevers,  whom 
the  Piedmontese  had  not  visited,  in  consequence  of  a  dis- 
pute between  them  two  or  three  days  previously.  He 
was  therefore  introduced  to  the  queen  as  soon  as  an- 
nounced. 

Coconnas  entered,  not  altogether  able  to  surmount  the 
embarrassment  which  he  always  felt  to  a  certain  extent 
in  the  presence  of  the  queen,  and  which  was  the  greater 
from  her  superiority  of  wit  than  of  rank  ;  but  Marguerite 
greeted  him  with  a  smile  which  instantly  reassured  him. 

"  Ah,  madame  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  restore  my  friend  to 
me,  I  entreat  you  ;  or,  at  least,  tell  me  what  has  become 
of  him  ;  for  without  him  I  cannot  live.  Suppose  Eurya- 
lus  without  Nisus,  Damon  without  Pythias,  or  Orestes 
without  Pylades,  and  have  pity  on  my  misfortune  at  the 
loss  of  my  dear  friend." 

Marguerite  smiled,  and  after  having  bound  Coconnas 
to  secrecy,  told  him  all  about  the  escape  by  the  window. 
As  to  the  place  of  his  concealment,  although  Coconnas 
urged  her  to  reveal  it  with  all  earnestness,  she  decidedly 
refused,  but  added  : 

"  Well,  if  you  wish  to  learn  something  decisive  as  to 
your  friend,  ask  the  King  of  Navarre,  who  is  the  only 
person  that  has  a  right  to  speak.  As  for  me,  all  I  can 
tell  you  is,  that  he  you  are  seeking  lives  ;  have  faith  in  my 
word  ! " 

"  I  have  faith  in  something  still  more  sure,  madame: 
those  lovely  eyes  have  not  been  weeping." 

Then,  thinking  he  could  not  add  anything  to  this  com- 
pliment, he  retired,  fully  resolved  to  seek  a  reconciliation 
•with  Madame  de  Nevers,  just  to  find  if  she  knew  more 
than  Marguerite  would  tell  him.  The  idea  of  leaving 
Marguerite  had  almost  broken  La  Mole's  heart,  and  it  was 


352  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

rather  to  save  the  reputation  of  the  queen  than  to  pre- 
serve his  own  life  that  he  had  consented  to  fly.  Thus  the 
next  evening  he  returned  to  Paris,  to  try  and  see  Mar- 
guerite, at  her  balcony.  Marguerite,  on  her  side,  as  if  a 
secret  voice  had  informed  her  that  he  would  be  there,  had 
passed  the  evening  at  her  window,  and  thus  they  had  seen 
each  other  with  happiness,  a  sentiment  that  may  be  read- 
ily imagined. 

La  Mole,  anxious  to  be  always  near  Marguerite,  oc- 
cupied himself  in  organizing,  with  all  possible  despatch, 
the  event  which  would  restore  her  to  him,  namely,  the 
flight  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 

Marguerite  having  thus  seen  La  Mole,  and  being  aware 
of  his  safety,  was  at  ease  with  respect  to  him,  but  fearing 
he  might  be  watched  and  followed,  she  pertinaciously  re- 
fused to  give  him  any  other  meeting  than  these  a  VEspa- 
gnole,  which  took  place  every  evening  until  the  night  be- 
fore the  reception  of  the  ambassadors.  On  this  evening, 
about  nine  o'clock,  when  all  the  persons  in  the  Louvre 
were  preoccupied  with  the  preparations  for  next  dav,  Mar- 
guerite opened  her  window  and  went  into  the  balcony ; 
but  scarcely  was  she  there,  than  the  note  she  expected, 
according  to  La  Mole's  usual  custom,  was  thrown  w'tn 
his  usual  skill,  and  fell  at  the  feet  of  his  royal  mistress. 
As  he  had  generally  awaited  her  missive,  Marguerite  un- 
derstood, that  by  anticipating  her  he  had  some  important 
intelligence  to  communicate,  and  read  it  with  all  haste. 
The  billet  in  the  first  page  contained  these  words  : 

"MADAME, — I  must  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  it 
is  on  a  most  urgent  matter.  I  am  waiting." 

And  in  the  second  page,  which  could  be  detached  from 
the  other,  was  written  : 

"My  LADY  AND  QUEEN, — Manage  that  I  may  speak 
with  you.  I  am  waiting." 

Marguerite  had  scarcely  finished  the  second  side  of  this 
letter  than  she  heard  the  voice  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  who, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  353 

with  his  usual  reserve,  tapped  at  the  door,  and  asked 
Gillonne  if  he  might  be  allowed  to  enter. 

The  queen  instantly  divided  the  sheet  of  paper,  put  one 
of  the  pages  in  her  pocket,  ran  to  the  window,  which  she 
shut,  and  going  quickly  to  the  door,  said :  "  Come  in, 
sire." 

Gently,  quickly  and  cleverly  as  Marguerite  had  closed 
the  window,  the  sound  had  reached  the  ears  of  Henry, 
whose  senses  were  always  on  the  alert,  and  who  had  in  the 
society  he  so  greatly  mistrusted  acquired  that  exquisite 
delicacy  of  hearing  and  sight  which  man  acquires  in  a 
savage  state.  But  the  King  of  Navarre  was  not  one  of 
those  tyrants  who  wish  to  prevent  their  wives  from  taking 
the  air  and  gazing  on  the  stars.  Henry  was  smiling  and 
urbane  as  usual. 

"  Madame/'  he  said,  "  whilst  our  people  of  the  court 
are  trying  on  their  fine  apparel,  I  have  come  to  have 
a  few  words  with  you  as  to  my  affairs,  which  you  still 
regard  as  your  own,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  Most  assuredly,  sir/'  replied  Marguerite;  "are  not 
our  interests  always  identical  ?" 

"Yes,  madame;  and  therefore  I  wished  to  ask  your 
opinion  as  to  the  pains  which  D'Alenqon  has  taken  for 
several  days  to  avoid  me,  so  much  so,  that  since  the  day 
before  yesterday  he  has  betaken  himself  to  Saint-Germains. 
Do  you  not  think  from  this,  that  it  is  his  intention  either 
to  go  away  alone,  or  not  to  go  at  all  Let  me,  if  you 
please,  have  your  ideas  on  this  point ;  for  it  would  have 
great  weight  with  me  if  your  opinion  should  coincide 
with  mine." 

"  Your  majesty  is  quite  right  to  feel  uneasy  as  to  my 
brother's  silence.  I  have  thought  of  it  all  day  ;  and  it  is 
my  opinion,  that,  circumstances  having  changed,  he  has 
changed  with  them." 

"  That  is  to  say,  that  seeing  King  Charles  ill,  and  the 
Duke  d'Anjou  King  of  Poland,  he  would  not  be  sorry  to 
remain  in  Paris  to  watch  for  the  crown  of  France." 

"  Precisely  so." 

"  I  agree  with  you.     This  is  all  as  I  wish  it,"  continued 


354  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Henry.  "  Let  him  remain  ;  that  will  not  alter  onr  plan  ; 
for  I  should  require,  to  go  alone,  thrice  the  guarantees  I 
should  have  asked  had  your  brother  accompanied  me, 
whose  name  and  presence  in  the  enterprise  would  have 
been  my  safeguards.  The  only  thing  that  astonishes  me 
is,  not  having  any  tidings  of  De  Mouy.  Have  you  any 
intelligence  of  him,  madame  ?  " 

"I,  sire  \"  said  Marguerite,  astonished,  "flow  could 
I  possibly " 

"  Eh,  pardieu,  ma  mie!  nothing  can  be  more  natural. 
You  were  so  kind  as  to  oblige  me  by  saving  young  La 
Mole's  life  ;  he  was  sure  to  go  to  Mantes,  and  when  there, 
it  was  no  great  distance  to  return  hither." 

"  Ah  !  that  gives  me  the  solution  to  a  riddle  I  have 
sought  for  in  vain,"  replied  Marguerite.  "  I  had  left  my 
window  open,  and  found  on  my  return  a  kind  of  note  on 
the  carpet." 

"  There,  now  ! "  said  Henry. 

"  A  note  which  at  first  I  could  not  comprehend,  and 
to  which  I  attached  no  importance,"  continued  Margue- 
rite. "  Perhaps  I  was  wrong,  and  it  comes  from  that 
quarter." 

"Very  possibly,"  said  Henry;  "nay,  most  probably. 
Might  I  see  this  note  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  sire,"  replied  Marguerite,  handing  to  the 
king  the  half  sheet  of  paper  which  she  had  put  in  her 
pocket. 

The  king  looked  at  it. 

"Is  not  this,"  he  inquired,  "  the  writing  of  M.  de  la 
Mole?" 

"  I  do  not  know,"  was  Marguerite's  reply  ;  "  the  letters 
appear  to  me  counterfeited." 

"  Never  mind  ;  let  us  read."     And  he  read  : 

"  '  MADAME, — I  must  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre. 
It  is  on  a  most  urgent  matter.  I  am  waiting.' — Ah,  do 
you  see  ?"  said  Henry  ;  "  he  says  he  is  waiting  ! " 

"  Yes,  I  see  he  says  ;  but  what  then  ?  " 

"Why,  ventre-saint-gris I  I  wish  him  to  come 
here." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  355 

"  Come  here  ! "  exclaimed  Marguerite,  fixing  on  her 
husband  her  beautiful  eyes,  full  of  amazement ;  "  how 
can  you  say  such  a  thing,  sire  ?  A  man  whom  the  king 
has  sought  to  kill — who  is  marked  down,  menaced.  Let 
him  come,  do  you  say  !  Is  that  possible  ?  Were  doors 
made  for  those  who  have  been ?" 

"  Obliged  to  escape  by  the  window,  you  would  say.'* 

"  Precisely  so." 

'  Well,  but  if  they  know  the  way  by  the  window,  they 
may  take  that  road  again,  since  it  is  impossible  for  them 
to  enter  by  the  door.  That  is  simple  enough,  surely." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?"  said  Marguerite,  blushing  with 
pleasure  at  the  thoughts  of  again  having  La  Mole  near 
her. 

« I  am  sure  of  it." 

'•'  But  how  can  he  ascend  ?"  inquired  the  queen. 

"Did  you  not  preserve  the  rope-ladder  I  sent  you  ?" 

•''  Yes,  sire,"  said  Marguerite. 

"Then  the  whole  thing  will  be  capitally  managed. 
Fasten  it  to  your  balcony,  and  let  it  hang.  If  it  be  De 
Mouy  who  awaits — and  I  am  induced  to  believe  so — he  will 
mount  the  ladder."  And  without  losing  his  gravity, 
Henry  took  the  taper  to  light  Marguerite  in  her  search 
for  the  ladder.  The  search  was  by  no  means  tedious  ;  it 
was  discovered  in  a  cupboard  ID  the  celebrated  closet. 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  Henry.  "And  now,  madame,  if  it 
is  not  too  much  to  ask  of  your  complaisance,  tie  it,  I  beg, 
to  the  balcony." 

"  Why  me  and  not  you,  sire  ?  "asked  Marguerite. 

"  Because  the  best  conspirators  are  the  most  prudent : 
the  sight  of  a  man  might  alarm  your  correspondent — you 
understand  ?" 

Marguerite  smiled,  and  fastened  the  ladder. 

"  There,"  said  Henry,  ensconcing  himself  in  the  angle 
of  the  apartment ;  "  now  show  yourself — and  now  let  the 
ladder  be  dropped.  Capital !  I  am  sure  De  Mouy  will 
come  up." 

And  in  a  few  minutes  afterwards,  a  man  joyously 
placed  his  leg  over  the  balcony  ;  but  seeing  that  the  queen 

DUJIAS — VOL.  III. — 16 


356  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

did  not  approach  him,  remained  for  some  minutes  in  hesi- 
tation, and  then  Henry  advanced. 

"Ah  !"  said  he,  urbanely,  "it  is  not  De  Mouy ;  it  is 
M.  de  la  Mole.  Good  evening,  M.  de  la  Mole.  Enter,  I 
entreat  you." 

La  Mole  was  for  a  moment  amazed.  Perchance,  had 
he  still  been  on  the  ladder,  instead  of  having  his  feet 
firmly  in  the  balcony,  he  would  have  fallen  backwards. 

"  You  desired  to  speak  to  the  King  of  Navarre  on  an 
urgent  affair/'  said  Marguerite  ;  "  I  have  informed  him 
BO,  and  here  he  is." 

Henry  went  to  the  window,  and  closed  it. 

"  I  love  thee  ! "  whispered  Marguerite,  pressing  the 
young  man's  hand  ardently. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Henry,  handing  a  chair  to  La  Mole, 
"  what  have  we  to  say  ?  " 

"  We  have  to  say,  sire,"  he  replied,  "  that  I  have  left 
M.  de  Mouy  at  the  barrier.  He  desires  to  know  if  Manre- 
vel  has  spoken,  and  if  his  presence  in  your  majesty's 
chamber  is  known." 

"  Not  yet ;  but  it  must  be  before  long.  We  must  there- 
fore make  haste." 

"  His  opinion  coincides  with  your  majesty's,  sire  ;  and  if 
to-morrow,  during  the  evening,  M.  d'Alen9on  is  ready  to 
depart,  De  Mouy  will  be  at  the  Porte  Saint-Marcel  with  a 
hundred  and  fifty  men  ;  five  hundred  will  await  you  at 
Fontaineblean,  and  then  you  will  gain  Blois,  Angoule'me, 
and  Bordeaux." 

"Madame,"  said  Henry,  turning  to  his  wife,  "to- 
morrow, I  shall  be  ready  ;  shall  you  ?  " 

La  Mole's  eyes  were  fixed  on  Marguerite's  with  intense 
anxiety. 

"You  have  my  word,"  replied  the  queen.  "Whither- 
soever you  go,  I  follow  you ;  but  you  know  M.  d'Alengon 
must  go  at  the  same  time.  There  is  no  middle  path  for 
him  ;  he  is  with  us,  or  he  betrays  us  ;  if  he  hesitates,  we 
will  not  stir." 

"  Does  he  know  anything  of  this  proposed  plan,  M.  de 
la  Mole  ?  "  inquired  Henry. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  357 

"  He  had  a  letter  from  De  Mouy  several  days  since." 

"  Ah,  ah! "  said  Henry,  * '  and  never  told  me  a  word  of  it." 

"  Be  on  your  guard,  sir — be  on  your  guard/'  said  Mar- 
guerite. 

"  Be  easy  ;  I  am  on  my  guard.  But  how  to  return  an 
answer  to  De  Mouy  ?  " 

"  Do  not  be  under  any  anxiety,  sire.  To-morrow,  on 
the  right  hand  or  left  hand  of  your  majesty,  visible  or 
invisible,  during  the  reception  of  the  ambassadors,  he  will 
be  there  ;  one  word  in  the  queen's  address  will  make  him 
understand  whether  you  consent  or  not ;  whether  he 
should  flee,  or  await  you.  If  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  refuses, 
he  only  requires  a  delay  of  a  fortnight  to  reorganize  every- 
thing in  your  name." 

"  Eeally,"  replied  Henry,  "De  Mouy  is  an  invaluable 
man.  Can  you  introduce  a  phrase  or  two  in  your  dis- 
course, madame  ?  " 

"Nothing  easier,"  replied  Marguerite. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Henry,  "I  shall  see  M.  d'Alenqon 
to-morrow  ;  let  De  Mouy  be  at  his  post,  and  understand 
from  half  a  word." 

"  He  will  be  there,  sire." 

"Well,  then,  M.  de  la  Mole,  go  and  bear  him  my  reply. 
You  have,  doubtless,  a  horse  and  servant  somewhere  near 
at  hand." 

"  Orthon  awaits  me  on  the  quay." 

"  Go  to  him,  comte.  Oh,  not  by  the  window  ;  that  is 
very  well  on  extreme  occasions ;  but  you  might  be  seen, 
and  as  it  would  not  be  known  that  it  was  for  me  that  you 
exposed  yourself,  it  would  compromise  the  queen." 

"  But  how  then,  sire  ?  " 

"  If  you  could  not  enter  the  Louvre  alone,  you  can  at 
least  go  out  of  it  with  me  who  have  the  password.  You 
have  your  cloak,  I  have  mine  ;  we  will  wrap  ourselves  up 
well,  and  shall  pass  the  wicket  without  difficulty.  Wait 
here  whilst  I  see  if  the  corridors  are  free." 

Henry,  with  the  most  natural  air  in  the  world,  went 
out  to  examine  if  the  way  was  clear.  La  Mole  remained 
alone  with  the  queen. 


358  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Oh,  when  shall  we  meet  again  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 

"  To-morrow  evening,  if  we  flee ;  in  the  Rue  Cloche- 
Perc6e,  if  we  do  not  flee." 

"M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  Henry,  returning,  "you  may 
come  ;  there  is  no  one  there." 

La  Mole  bowed  respectfully  before  the  queen. 

"  Give  him  your  hand  to  kiss,  madame,"  said  Henry  ; 
"  M.  de  la  Mole  is  no  common  servitor." 

Marguerite  obeyed. 

"Apropos,"  added  Henry.  "  Put  away  the  rope-ladder 
carefully  :  it  is  a  very  precious  instrument  for  conspira- 
tors, and  at  the  moment  we  least  think  of,  it  may  stand 
in  stead.  Come,  De  la  Mole — come  1 " 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE   AMBASSADORS. 

NEXT  morning,  the  whole  population  of  Paris  poured 
towards  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine,  by  which  it  was  de- 
cided that  the  Polish  ambassadors  should  enter  ;  a  line  of 
soldiers  restrained  the  crowd,  and  a  regiment  of  horse 
escorted  the  nobles  and  ladies  of  the  court. 

Soon  appeared,  close  by  the  Abbey  St. -Antoine,  a  troop 
of  cavaliers  dressed  in  red  and  yellow,  with  furred  mantles 
and  caps,  and  bearing  large  sabers  curved  like  Turkish 
scimetars.  Behind  this  troop  came  a  second,  clothed  with 
oriental  magnificence.  They  preceded  the  ambassadors, 
who,  four  in  number,  gorgeously  sustained  the  reputation 
of  their  chivalrous  country. 

One  of  the  ambassadors  was  the  Bishop  of  Cracow  ;  hia 
eostume  was  half  ecclesiastical,  half  military,  resplendent 
with  gold  and  jewels.  Next  the  bishop  rode  the  palatine 
Lasco,  a  powerful  noble,  nearly  related  to  the  royal  family, 
rich  as  a  king,  and  as  proud.  Behind  these  two  principal 
ambassadors,  who  were  accompanied  by  two  other  pala- 
tines of  high  rank,  came  a  number  of  gentlemen,  whose 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  359 

steeds,  all  glitering  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  ex- 
cited the  clamorous  admiration  of  the  populace. 

Up  to  the  last  moment  Catherine  had  hoped  the  recep- 
tion would  be  deferred  in  consequence  of  the  king's  ill- 
ness. But  when  the  day  arrived — when  she  saw  Charles, 
pale  as  a  specter,  assume  the  royal  robes,  she  saw  she 
must,  in  appearance  at  least,  yield  to  his  iron  will,  and 
began  to  believe  that  the  safest  plan  for  Henry  d'Anjou 
was  to  depart  into  the  splendid  exile  to  which  he  was  con- 
demned. 

The  large  reception  chamber  had  been  prepared,  and  as 
such  ceremonies  were  usually  public,  the  guards  and  sen- 
tinels had  received  orders  to  admit  as  many  persons  into 
the  apartments  and  courts  as  they  could  possibly  contain. 

As  for  Paris,  it  presented  the  same  aspect  that  every 
great  city  presents  on  similar  occasions — that  is,  confusion 
and  curiosity  ;  only,  had  any  one  attentively  examined 
the  population,  he  would  have  remarked  a  considerable 
number  of  men  in  cloaks,  who  exchanged  glances  and 
signs  when  at  a  distance,  and,  when  they  met,  a  few 
rapid  words  in  a  low  tone.  They  seemed  much  occupied 
with  the  procession,  and  received  their  orders  from  an  old 
man,  whose  keen  black  eyes,  spite  of  his  long  white  beard 
and  eyebrows,  bespoke  a  \igorousactivity.  This  old  man, 
by  his  own  and  his  followers'  assistance,  gained  an  en- 
trance to  the  Louvre,  and,  thanks  to  the  officer  of  the 
Swiss  guard,  obtained  a  place  behind  the  ambassadors,  and 
opposite  Henry  and  Marguerite. 

Henry,  informed  by  La  Mole  that  De  Mouy  in  some 
disguise  would  be  present,  looked  round  on  every  side. 
At  last  his  eyes  encountered  those  of  the  old  man,  and 
a  sign  from  De  Mouy  dissipated  all  doubt  as  to  his  identity ; 
for  De  Mouy  was  so  perfectly  disguised,  that  the  King  of 
Navarre  was  doubtful  as  to  whether  this  old  man  with  a 
white  beard  could  be  the  intrepid  Huguenot  chief,  who  a 
few  days  before  had  made  so  desperate  a  defense. 

A  word  from  Henry  fixed  Marguerite's  attention  on  De 
Mouy.  Then  her  eyes  wandered  round  the  chamber  in 
eearch  of  La  Mole.  La  Mole  was  not  there. 


860  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  orations  commenced.  The  first  was  to  the  king : 
Lasco,  in  the  name  of  the  Diet  of  Poland,  demanded  his 
consent  to  the  Duke  d'Anjou  becoming  their  king. 

The  king's  reply  was  brief  and  precise.  He  presented  to 
them  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  of  whose  courage  he  made  a 
high  eulogium.  He  spoke  in  French,  and  an  interpreter 
translated  what  he  said  at  the  end  of  each  sentence. 

Whilst  the  interpreter  was  speaking,  the  king  applied 
his  handkerchief  continually  to  his  mouth,  and  as  often 
as  he  removed  it  a  stain  of  blood  was  visible. 

When  Charles  had  finished,  Lasco  turned  to  D'Anjou, 
and  offered  him,  in  the  name  of  the  Diet,  the  throne  of 
Poland.  Lasco's  address  was  in  Latin. 

The  duke  replied,  in  the  same  language,  and  in  a  voice 
he  in  vain  strove  to  render  firm,  that  he  gratefully  accepted 
the  honor  offered  to  him.  During  all  this  time  Charles, 
who  remained  standing,  with  lips  compressed,  fixed  his 
eyes  on  him,  like  an  eagle  watching  his  prey. 

When  the  duke  had  finished,  Lasco  took  the  crown  of 
the  Jagellons  from  the  velvet  cushion  on  which  it  rested, 
and  whilst  two  Polish  nobles,  placed  the  royal  robes  on  the 
duke,  deposited  the  crown  in  Charles's  hands. 

Charles  signed  to  his  brother.  D'Anjou  knelt  before 
him,  and,  with  his  own  hands,  Charles  placed  the  crown 
on  his  head,  and  the  two  brothers  interchanged  a  kiss  full 
of  bitter  hate. 

A  herald  then  cried  :  "  Alexander  Edward  Henry  of 
France  Duke  d'Anjou,  is  crowned  King  of  Poland.  God 
save  the  King  of  Poland  !  " 

All  the  assembly  repeated  :  "  God  save  the  King  of 
Poland ! » 

Then  Lasco  turned  to  Marguerite.  Her  discourse  had 
been  reserved  till  the  last,  and,  as  we  have  said,  Marguerite 
had  composed  it  herself. 

Lasco's  address  was  rather  a  eulogy  than  an  oration. 
He  had  yielded,  Sarmatian  as  he  was,  to  his  admiration  of 
Marguerite's  beauty ;  and  while  his  language  was  that  of 
Ovid,  his  style  was  that  of  Ronsard.  His  discourse  was 
applauded  by  everybody  :  by  those  who  understood  Latin, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  361 

because  they  partook  of  his  admiration  ;  by  those  who  did 
not  understand  it,  because  they  wished  it  to  appear  as 
though  they  did. 

Marguerite,  having  made  a  gracious  curtsey  to  the  am- 
bassador, fixed  her  eyes  on  De  Mouy,  and  began  thus : 

"  Quod  nunc  hac  in  aula  insperati  adestis  exultaremus 
ego  et  rex  conjux,  nisi  id£o  immineret  calamitas,  scilicet 
non  solum  fratris  sed  etiam  amici  orbitas." — ("  Your  un- 
looked-for presence  in  this  court  would  overwhelm  my  hus- 
band and  myself  with  joy,  did  it  not  threaten  us  with  a 
great  misfortune ;  that  is,  not  only  the  loss  of  a  brother, 
but  also  that  of  a  friend.") 

These  words  had  a  double  meaning,  and  whilst  intended 
for  De  Moay,  were  supposed  to  refer  to  the  Dnke  d'Anjou. 
The  latter,  accordingly,  bowed  in  token  of  gratitude. 

Charles  did  not  recollect  having  read  this  sentence  in 
Marguerite's  speech,  when  submitted  to  him  some  days  be- 
fore, but  he  did  not  trouble  himself  much  about  that ;  and, 
besides,  he  understood  Latin  very  imperfectly. 

Marguerite  continued : 

"  Ade'o  dolemur  a  te  dividi  ut  tecum  proficisci  maluisse- 
mus,  sed  idem  fatum  quo  nnnc  sine  ulld  mora  Lutetia  ce- 
dere  juberis,  hac  in  urbe  detinet.  Proficiscere  ergo,  f rater  ; 
proficiscere  amice  ;  proficiscere  sine  nobis  ;  proficiscentem, 
sequentur  spes  et  desideria  nostra." — ("We  are  grieved  to  be 
separated  from  you,  for  we  should  have  preferred  going 
with  you  ;  but  the  same  fate  that  compels  you  to  quit 
Paris  without  delay,  retains  us  in  that  city.  Go,  dear 
brother  ;  go,  then,  dear  friend — go  without  us.  Our  hopes 
and  our  wishes  will  follow  you.") 

It  is  easy  to  understand  how  attentively  De  Mouy  had 
listened  to  these  words,  which,  though  addressed  to  the 
Duke  d'Anjou,  were  meant  for  him  alone.  Whilst  listen- 
ing, Catherine  was  struck  with  the  black  eyes  so  piercing 
beneath  their  gray  penthouses. 

"  What  a  strange  face  ! "  thought  she.  "  Who  can  this 
man  be  who  watches  Marguerite  so  attentively,  and  whom 
Henry  and  Marguerite,  on  their  part,  look  at  with  such 
earnestness  ?  " 


362  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  continued,  whilst  Catherine  strove 
in  vain  to  divine  the  name  of  this  strange  old  man,  when 
the  master  of  the  ceremonies  came  behind  her,  and  present- 
ed to  her  a  little  satin  bag ;  she  opened  it,  and  found  a 
paper  containing  these  words :  "  Maurevel,  by  the  aid  of 
a  cordial  I  have  administered  to  him,  has,  in  some  measure, 
recovered  his  strength,  and  has  written  the  name  of  the 
man  in  the  King  of  Navarre's  chamber.  This  man  was  M. 
de  Mouy." 

"  De  Mouy,"  thought  the  queen,  "  I  fancied  it  was  he  ; 
but  this  old  man — eh,  cospetto  ! — this  old  man  is " 

She  leaned  towards  the  captain  of  her  guards. 

"  Do  you  see/*  whispered  she,  "  that  old  man  with  the 
white  beard,  and  in  the  black  velvet  dress,  behind  Lasco  ?  " 

"He  to  whom  the  King  of  Navarre  made  a  sign  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  do  not  lose  sight  of  him  ;  station  yourself  at  the 
door  with  ten  men,  and  when  he  comes  out,  invite  him, 
in  the  king's  name,  to  dinner  ;  if  he  accept,  conduct  him 
to  the  chamber,  and  keep  him  there  ;  if  he  resist,  seize 
him,  dead  or  alive." 

Fortunately,  Henry  had  glanced  at  Catherine,  and  ob- 
serving her  eyes  fixed  so  earnestly  on  De  Mo»y,  became 
uneasy  ;  when  he  saw  her  give  an  order  to  the  captain  of 
the  guard,  he  guessed  all.  It  was  then  he  made  the  sign 
De  Nancey  had  observed,  and  which  meant,  "  Save  your- 
self— you  are  discovered  !  "  But  Henry  was  not  quite  re- 
assured until  De  Nancey  returned,  and  he  saw  by  Cath- 
erine's face  that  the  officer  had  been  unsuccessful. 

The  audience  was  finished.  The  king  rose  with  diffi- 
culty, saluted  the  ambassadors,  and  retired,  leaning  on 
Ambroise  Pare,  who,  since  his  accident,  had  not  quitted 
him  an  instant.  The  Duke  d'Alenqon  had  been  a  mere 
nobody  throughout  the  ceremony  ;  and  Charles's  eyes,  which 
had  been  fixed  on  D'Anjou,  had  not  once  been  turned  to- 
wards him. 

The  new  King  of  Poland  felt  himself  lost.  Carried  off 
by  those  barbarians,  far  from  his  mother,  he  was,  so  to 
speak,  a  second  Antaeus,  removed  from  the  earth  to  which 
he  owed  his  strength.  Instead  of  following  the  king,  he 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  353 

retired  to  his  mother's  apartments.  On  seeing  her  beloved 
son  pale  beneath  the  crown,  and  bending  beneath  the 
royal  mantle.  Catherine  advanced  towards  him. 

"  Oh,  mother  ! "  cried  the  king,  "  I  am  condemned  to  die 
an  exile/' 

"  My  son/'  returned  Catherine,  "  have  you  so  soon  for- 
gotten Rene's  prediction  ?  Tranquillize  yourself ;  you  will 
not  be  there  long." 

"  Mother,  I  entreat  you/'  said  the  Duke  d'Anjou,  "  on 
the  least  probability  of  the  crown  of  France  being  vacant, 
inform  me." 

"  My  son,"  replied  the  queen,  "until  the  day  we  both 
of  us  await,  a  horse  shall  be  always  saddled  in  my  stable, 
and  a  courier  ever  in  my  antechamber  ready  to  set  out  for 
Poland." 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

OKESTES  AND  PYLADES. 

HENRY  D'ANJOU  once  departed,  peace  and  happiness 
seemed  to  have  returned  to  the  Louvre.  Charles,  laying 
aside  his  melancholy,  resumed  his  usually  fine  and  vigorous 
health,  either  hunting  each  day  with  Henry,  or,  if  prevented 
from  following  that  sport,  passing  the  time  in  discuss- 
ing subjects  relating  to  it,  and  scolding  his  brother-in- 
law  for  the  indifference  he  betrayed  for  hawking,  declaring 
that  he  would  be  the  most  accomplished  prince  of  his  time, 
if  he  did  but  understand  the  management  of  falcons,  ger- 
falcons, hawks,  and  tiercelets,  as  perfectly  as  he  did  brocks 
and  hounds.  Catherine  had  returned  to  all  the  duties  of 
a  good  mother.  Kind  and  gentle  towards  Charles  and 
D'Alenqon — affectionate  to  Henry  and  Marguerite — gra- 
cious to  Madame  de  Nevers  andMadame  de  Sauve,  she  even 
carried  her  amiability  so  far  as  to  visit  Mau revel  twice 
during  the  time  he  lay  ill  in  his  residence,  situated  Rue  de 
la  Cerisaie — alleging,  as  a  reason  for  this  condescension  on 
her  part,  that  the  unfortunate  object  of  her  pity  had  been 


364  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

wounded  while  in  the  discharge  of  orders  received  from 
herself.  Marguerite  followed  up  her  love  affairs  after  the 
Italian  mode  of  conducting  such  matters.  Each  evening 
she  stood  at  her  open  window,  and,  both  by  writing  and 
gestures,  kept  up  a  continual  correspondence  with  La 
Mole  ;  while,  in  each  of  his  letters,  the  impatient  young 
man  reminded  his  lovely  mistress  of  her  promise  to  see  him 
in  the  Rue  Cloche-Percee. 

In  a  word,  there  remained  but  one  lonely  and  discon- 
tented person  amidst  the  various  members  of  the  now 
calm  and  tranquil  Louvre. 

It  was  certainly  something  to  know  that  La  Mole  still 
lived— much  to  be  the  object  of  decided  preference  to  so 
charming  and  capricious  a  person  as  Madame  de  Nevers ; 
but  the  Piedmontese  would  thankfully  have  surrendered  all 
the  tender  meetings  granted  him  by  the  duchess,  as  well 
as  all  the  consolatory  assurances  of  Marguerite  touching 
the  safety  of  their  common  friend,  for  one  hour's  enjoy- 
ment of  his  dear  La  Mole's  company. 

Urged  by  the  wishes  of  her  own  heart,  as  well  as  by  the 
supplications  of  La  Mole,  and  the  deep  despair  of  the 
woe-begone  Coconnas,  Marguerite  had  appointed  to  meet 
Henriette  at  the  house  with  the  double  entrance,  and  en- 
deavor there  to  discuss,  fully  and  uninterruptedly,  those 
subjects  all  four  had  so  much  at  heart. 

Coconnas  received  Henriette's  summons  to  be  in  the 
Rue  Tizon  at  half-past  nine  with  a  very  ill  grace.  Never- 
theless, he  was  punctual  to  the  assignation,  where  he  found 
Henriette  already  arrived,  and  not  a  little  offended  at 
being  there  first. 

"Fie,  monsieur !"  cried  she,  as  he  entered,  "is  this 
well,  to  make — I  will  not  say  a  princess,  but  a  lady — wait 
for  yon  ?  " 

"  Wait  ? "  replied  Coconnas.  "Hike  that  !  I'll  wager 
you  what  you  like,  that  we  are  before  our  time." 

"  I  was  here  certainly  before  the  time  fixed." 

"  Well,  and  so  was  I,  or,  at  least,  I  should  have  been, 
but  for  a  circumstance.  What's  o'clock  now  ?  Scarcely 
ten,  I  think." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  365 

"  And  my  letter  named  half-past  nine  as  the  hour  you 
were  to  meet  me  here." 

"  For  the  purpose  of  being  punctual,  I  quitted  the  Louvre 
at  nine  o'clock  to  repair  hither  ;  but  when  I  reached  the 
corner  of  the  Eue  de  Grenelle,  I  perceived  a  person  whom 
I  mistook  for  La  Mole." 

"  Always  something  tedious  about  that  La  Mole  ! " 

"  Certainly,  either  with  your  leave  or  without  it." 

"Brute  !" 

"  Upon  my  word/*  said  Coconnas,  "  we  seem  bent 
upon  paying  each  other  compliments  to-night." 

"  You  are  really  overpoweringly  civil,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed ;  but  go  on  with  your  story,  if  it  must  be  so,  and  let 
me  hear  what  became  of  your  meeting  with  the  individual 
so  like  your  dear  La  Mole.  But,  stay  !  for  heaven's  sake, 
how  comes  this  blood  upon  your  doublet  ?" 

"  Ah,  that  fellow  must  have  sprinkled  me  when  we  were 
fighting  together." 

"Have  you,  then,  fought  any  one  ?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  have." 

"And  still  on  La  Mole's  account." 

"  For  whom  do  you  think  I  should  fight  ?  For  a 
woman  ?  No,  no  ;  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it.  I  followed 
the  person  who  had  dared  to  take  upon  himself  to  imitate 
the  walk  and  manner  of  my  friend,  and  overtook  him  in 
the  Hue  Coquillie're.  I  eyed  him  in  every  way,  by  the  light 
from  a  shop  window  — well,  it  was  not  my  poor  La  Mole  ! " 

"  So  far,  so  good  ! " 

"  Aye,  but  my  unknown  gentleman  turned  quite  angry 
about  my  following  him  ;  and  when  I  said,  '  Sir,  you  are 
an  ass  and  a  fool  to  take  upon  yourself  to  bear  a  distant 
resemblance  to  my  friend  M.  de  la  Mole,  who  is  an  accom- 
plished cavalier,  while  it  only  requires  a  nearer  view  of 
you  to  perceive  you  are  only  a  vulgarian  ! '  he  drew  his 
sword — I  did  the  same  ;  and  at  the  third  pass,  my  angry 
gallant  fell  senseless  at  my  feet  sprinkling  me  with  his 
blood  in  falling." 

"  And  did  you  not  afford  him  any  succor  ?  " 

"  Just  as  I  was  about  to  do  so,  another  cavalier,  but 


366  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

mounted  on  horseback,  came  by.  Well,  this  time,  duchess, 
I  thought  I  was  quite  sure  of  finding  La  Mole,  for  he 
resembled  him  even  more  than  the  preceding — he  was 
going  a  great  pace,  but  that  did  not  deter  me  from  running 
after  him  as  hard  as  I  could  ;  but  I  was  obliged  to  stop  to 
get  a  little  breath,  and,  in  the  meantime,  the  horseman 
disappeared  ;  and,  tired  aud  dispirited  with  having  had  so 
unsuccessful  a  chase,  I  determined  to  come  here  !  " 

"Upon  my  word,"  said  the  duchess,  your  conduct  is 
most  flattering  !  It  is  quite  easy  to  perceive  you  no  longer 
love  me." 

"  On  the  contrary,  duchess,  I  idolize  you  ;  but  you  do  not 
understand  the  thing.  Is  it  not  quite  possible  for  me  to 
love  and  cherish  and  dote  upon  you,  and  yet  employ  my 
spare  time  in  eulogizing  my  friend  1 " 

"  You  call  the  moments  passed  with  me  spare  time  I" 

ef  I  can't  help  it  :  that  poor  De  la  Mole  is  forever  in  my 
thoughts  ! " 

et  And  you  prefer  him  to  me  !  I  see,  I  know  you  do  I 
Annibal,  I  hate  and  detest  you— there  ! — now  I've  said  it. 
Why  not  deal  candidly  with  me,  and  tell  me  you  prefer  this 
friend  to  me — only  one  thing  I  warn  you — that  if  you  dare 
to  prefer  any  creature  in  the  world  to  me,  I'll — 111 " 

"  Heuriette,  most  lovely  duchess  !  let  me  advise  you,  for 
the  sake  of  your  own  tranquillity,  not  to  ask  unwise 
questions — be  satisfied  that  I  love  you,  best  of  women  ; 
but  you  must  also  permit  me  the  privilege  of  loving  La 
Mole  above  all  other  men." 

"  Well  answered  ! "  said  a  strange  voice,  suddenly,  and 
a  large  damask  curtain  being  raised,  discovered  a  panel, 
which,  sliding  back  into  the  wall,  and  forming  a  mode  of 
communication  between  the  two  apartments,  discovered 
La  Mole  standing  in  the  doorway,  like  one  of  Titian's 
splendid  paintings  set  in  a  gilded  frame. 

"  La  Mole  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  without  taking  the 
slightest  notice  of  Marguerite,  or  in  any  way  thanking  her 
for  the  delightful  surprise  she  had  arranged  for  him  ; 
"  La  Mole  !  my  friend  !  my  dear,  dear  friend  !  " 

So  saying,  he  threw  himself  into  his  friend's  arms,  knock- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  367 

ing  over  the  table  that  stood  in  his  way,  as  well  as  the  arm- 
chair he  had  been  sitting  in. 

La  Mole  returned  his  greetings  with  equal  warmth  ; 
then,  addressing  the  Duchess  de  Nevers  :  "You  must 
pardon  me,  madame,  if  the  mention  of  my  name  has  been 
allowed  to  disturb  your  happiness  ;  all  I  can  say/'  con- 
tinued he,  regarding  Marguerite  with  ineffable  tender- 
ness, "is,  that  it  has  not  been  my  fault  that  we  have  not 
seen  each  other  before  this." 

"  Yon  see,  Henriette,"  said  Marguerite,  taking  up  the 
conversation,  "  I  have  kept  my  word  ;  here  he  is  ! " 

Meanwhile,  Cocoimas,  after  having  embraced  his  friend, 
and  walked  round  and  round  him  a  dozen  times  ;  after 
even  holding  a  candelabra  to  his  face,  the  better  to  gaze 
on  his  beloved  features,  suddenly  turned  towards  Mar- 
guerite, and  kneeling  down  reverentially,  kissed  the  hem 
of  her  robe. 

"  Well,  well  !  "  said  the  Duchess  de  Nevers,  "  you 
seem  to  forget  that  I  am  present  ;  I  suppose  I  have  grown 
quite  unendurable  in  your  eyes." 

"  Mordi  !  "  replied  Coconnas,  "  you  are,  as  you  ever 
have  been,  the  goddess  of  my  idolatry  :  the  only  difference 
being,  that  I  can  now  tell  you  so  with  a  lighter  heart ;  and 
were  a  host  of  savage  nations  standing  by,  I  would  insist 
and  maintain  that  all  their  hyperborean  and  barbarous 
countries  together  could  produce  nothing  so  perfect,  so 
lovely,  as  you,  my  queen  of  beauty." 

" Gently,  gently,  Coconnas/'  interposed  La  Mole  ;  "do 
you  forget  that  Madame  Marguerite  is  here  ?  " 

"  That  makes  no  difference,"  answered  Coconnas,  with 
that  half-serious,  half-comic  air  and  manner  so  peculiarly 
his  own  ;  "  I  will  still  assert  that  Madame  Henriette  is 
the  queen  of  beauty,  while  Madame  Marguerite  is  a  beauty 
of  a  queen  ! " 

"  Come,  then,  my  beautiful  queen  ! "  said  Madame  de 
Nevers,  perceiving  that  Coconnas  had  neither  eyes  nor  ears 
for  any  one  but  La  Mole,  "  let  us  leave  these  tender 
friends  to  have  an  hour's  chat  together.  M.  Coconnas 
will  perhaps  be  a  little  more  rational  after  that." 


368  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Marguerite  whispered  a  few  words  to  La  Mole,  and  then, 
with  Madame  de  Nevers,  passed  through  the  open  panel 
to  the  next  room,  where  sapper  was  awaiting  them. 

The  two  young  men  were  then  left  alone. 

The  first  questions  asked  by  Coconnas  were  touching 
that  fatal  evening,  which  had  well  nigh  cost  him  his  life. 
In  proportion  as  La  Mole  proceeded  in  his  narration,  the 
Piedmontese  shook  with  intense  emotion.. 

"  And  why  ?  "  inquired  he,  "  instead  of  running  about 
half  wild  as  you  have  done,  and  causing  me  the  uneasiness 
you  have  done,  did  you  not  seek  refuge  with  our  master 
the  duke,  who  would  have  received  and  protected  you  ?  " 

"  Do  you  mean  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  ?  "  whispered  La 
Mole,  "when  you  say  our  master  ?  'Tis  to  the  King  of 
Navarre  I  owe  my  life." 

"  Excellent,  noble  king  !  but  what  part  did  the  Duke 

play  in  the  affair  ?  " 

Oh,    he    held  the  cord  with  which  I    was  to  be 
strangled." 

"  Mordi  ! "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  springing  up  with 
violent  energy  ;  ' '  are  you  sure  of  that  ?  What !  a  pale- 
faced,  sickly-looking  prince,  a  currish  mongrel,  dare  to  lay 
his  hands  on  my  friend  ! — Strangle  him,  indeed  !  ha  ha  ! 
mordi  !  by  to-morrow  he  shall  hear  my  opinion  on  the 
subject." 

"Are  you  mad,  Coconnas  ?  For  Heaven's  sake,  calm 
yourself,  and  endeavor  to  recollect.. that  it  is  half-past 
eleven  o'clock,  and  that  you  are  in  waiting  to-night  at  the 
Louvre." 

"  What  care  I  for  that  ?  Good  !  he  may  wait  long  ere 
he  has  my  attendance.  What,  do  you  suppose  I  will  ever 
again  serve  a  man  who  has  held  a  cord  to  murder  my 
friend  with  ?  You  are  jesting  !  No,  no,  the  hand  of 
Providence  has  reunited  us,  and  from  you  I  go  no  more. 
If  you  stay  here,  I  remain  also." 

"  For  the  love  of  Heaven,  Coconnas,  mind  what  you 
are  about.  You  are  sober,  I  trust  ?  " 

"  Luckily  I  am,  or  I  should  most  certainly  set  the 
Louvre  on  fire." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  369 

"  Come,  come,  Annibal,"  persisted  La  Mole,  "  act  like 
a  reasonable  being  ;  return  to  your  duties,  or  inform  the 
duke  that  you  quit  his  service." 

"  To  be  sure,  to  be  sure  ;  that  is  quite  the  right  thing 
and  I  will  do  it.  I'll  write  him  a  few  lines  directly/' 

"  Write,  Coconnas  !  you  make  light  work  of  writing  to 
a  prince  of  the  blood.'* 

"  Ah,  but  whose  blood — that  of  my  friend  ?  Have  a 
care  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  rolling  his  large  fierce-look- 
ing eyes  ;  "  I  may  yet  be  tempted  to  break  through  eti- 
quette beyond  the  mere  sending  of  a  written  notice  to 
quit  his  service." 

So  saying,  Coconnas  took  the  pen  without  further  oppo- 
sition from  his  friend,  and  hastily  composed  the  following 
specimen  of  epistolary  eloquence  : 

"  MY  LORD, — There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  a  person 
versed  as  is  your  highness  in  the  writings  of  all  authors  of 
classical  antiquity,  must  be  perfectly  well  acquainted 
with  the  touching  story  of  Orestes  and  Pylades,  two  heroes 
celebrated  alike  for  their  misfortunes  and  deep  friendship. 
My  friend  La  Mole  is  equally  unfortunate  as  was  Orestes, 
while  I  can  boast  of  the  same  devoted  attachment  as  that 
which  possessed  Pylades.  Affairs  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  him  demand  my  aid  and  assistance  at  this  particular 
moment,  and  render  it  quite  impossible  for  me  to  quit  him. 
I  am  therefore  compelled  (craving  your  highness's  pardon 
for  the  same)  to  take  a  holiday,  for  the  purpose  of  remain- 
ing with  the  dear  friend  I  mean  to  part  from  no  more,  but 
to  follow  his  fortune  whithersoever  it  may  lead  me. 

"  I  beg  your  highness  to  believe  the  deep  sorrow  it  causes 
me  to  withdraw  myself  from  your  service,  as  also  the  deep 
respect  with  which  I  subscribe  myself,  my  lord, 
"Your  highness's 

"  Most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

"  AlOTIBAL,  COMTE  DE  COCOKISTAS, 

"  And  the  inseparable  friend  of  M.  de  la  Mole." 

This  chef-d'oauvre  terminated,  Coconnas  read  it  aloud 
to  La  Mole,  who  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
24 


370  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ?  "  inquired  Coconnas, 
who  either  had  not  seen  his  friend's  gesture,  or  feigned  not 
to  have  done  so. 

"  Why,  I  say  that  M.  d'Alengon  will  laugh  at  us  both, 
as  a  pair  of  simpletons/' 

"  Better  do  that  than  strangle  us.  Now,  then,  I  will 
speak  to  our  host  to  get  my  letter  despatched  to  the 
Louvre." 

At  this  moment  the  panel  was  slid  back. 

"  Well,"  inquired  both  princesses  in  the  same  breath  ; 
"  and  how  are  Pylades  and  Orestes,  by  this  time  ?  " 

"  Mordi  !  madame  ! "  replied  Coconnas,  "  they  are  both 
dying  with  love  and  hunger. " 

It  was  Maitre  la  Huriere  himself,  who,  at  nine  o'clock 
the  following  morning,  carried  to  the  Louvre  the  respect- 
ful missive  of  Comte  Annibal  de  Coconnas. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

ORTHON". 

OF  NAVARRE,  after  the  refusal  of  the  Duke 
d'Alengon,  which  left  everything  undecided  and  in  peril, 
even  his  very  existence,  had  become,  if  possible,  more  inti- 
mate with  the  prince  than  he  had  been  before  :  from  which 
circumstance  Catherine  concluded  that  not  only  did  the 
two  princes  understand  each  other  perfectly  well,  but  also 
that  they  were  engaged  in  some  mutual  plot  or  conspiracy. 

She  questioned  Marguerite  on  the  subject,  but  Margue- 
rite was  worthy  of  her  mother  ;  and  so  skilfully  did  the 
Queen  of  Navarre  parry  her  mother's  inquisitorial  inquiries, 
that  although  replying  with  apparent  openness  and  candor 
to  each,  she  contrived  to  throw  a  still  greater  mystery  over 
the  affair  than  it  was  before  involved  in. 

The  Florentine  had  thus  no  guide  through  the  labyrinth 
of  her  thoughts  but  the  spirit  of  intrigue  she  h?d  brought 
with  her  from  Tuscany  ;  and  the  first  conclusion  she  came 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  371 

to  was,  that  as  the  hated  Bearnais  derived  the  principal 
part  of  his  strength  from  his  alliance  with  the  Duke  d'Alen- 
<jon,  it  would  be  expedient  to  separate  them  as  speedily  as 
possible. 

Prom  the  instant  in  which  she  formed  this  resolution, 
Catherine  continued  to  beset  her  son  with  a  patience  and 
ability  worthy  of  the  most  indefatigable  angler,  who,  hav- 
ing dropped  his  bait  near  the  prey  he  desires  to  secure,  in- 
stantly draws  it  ashore,  till  his  victim  is  unconsciously 
lured  into  his  power. 

Duke  Fran9ois  was  conscious  of  the  increased  affection 
shown  him  by  his  mother,  whose  advances  he  received 
with  every  manifestation  of  pleasure.  As  for  Henry,  he 
affected  to  know  nothing  of  what  was  going  on,  but  he  kepf 
a  more  watcaful  eye  on  his  ally  than  he  had  hitherto  done. 

Everybody  seemed  to  await  some  great  event  by  which 
to  shape  their  course.  During  this  state  of  things  it  was, 
that  one  fine  summer  day,  when  the  sun  had  risen  with 
even  more  than  wonted  splendor,  and  the  rich  balmy  air 
was  filled  with  the  odor  of  a  thousand  flowers,  a  pale  and 
sickly  looking  man  came  forth  from  a  small  house  situated 
behind  the  Arsenal,  and  feebly  dragged  his  way,  support- 
ing himself  by  a  staff,  towards  the  Rue  de  Petit-Muse. 

Having  reached  the  Porte  St.-Antoine,  he  diverged  from 
the  Boulevard  and  entered  the  Archery  Garden  ;  the  man 
who  kept  the  gate  receiving  him  with  every  demonstration 
of  respect. 

No  person  was  in  the  garden,  which  (as  its  name  ex- 
pressed, belonged  to  a  society  called  the  Toxophilites),  but 
had  there  been  ever  so  many  spectators,  the  pale  stranger 
would  have  well  merited  their  commiseration  and  sympathy ; 
for  his  long  mustache  and  military  air  and  step,  though 
somewhat  weakened  by  sickness  and  suffering,  sufficiently 
indicated  that  he  was  some  officer  recently  wounded,  and 
now  seeking  to  regain  his  strength  by  essaying  to  take 
exercise  in  the  open  air.  Yet  strange  to  say,  when  the 
cloak  with  which  (spite  of  the  increasing  warmth)  the  ap- 
parently harmless  visitant  was  clad  flew  open,  it  displayed 
a  pair  of  long  pistols  hanging  to  the  silver  clasps  of  his 


372  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

belt,  which  also  sustained  a  dagger  and  a  sword  of  colossal 
size,  the  latter  of  which  hung  heavily  at  his  side,  and,  with 
its  ponderous  sheath,  clattered  against  his  shrunken  and 
trembling  legs. 

Arrived  in  the  garden,  the  individual  selected  for  his 
resting-place  a  sort  of  small  covered  arbor  looking  on  to 
the  Boulevards,  from  which  it  was  only  separated  by  a  thick 
hedge  and  by  a  small  ditch,  which  formed  as  it  were  a 
second  enclosure.  Extending  his  weary  lim  ->s  on  a  turfy 
bank,  within  reach  of  a  table,  he  beckoned  the  porter,  who, 
in  addition  to  the  duties  of  concierge,  exercised  also  the 
vocation  of  a  vintner,  and  saying  a  few  words,  was  quickly 
supplied  with  what  appeared  to  be  a  species  of  cordial. 

The  invalid  had  been  abouf  ten  minutes  in  his  shady 
retreat,  slowly  discussing  the  draught  brought  to  him  by 
the  concierge,  when  suddenly  his  countenance,  spite  of  its 
interesting  pallor,  assumed  a  fearful  expression.  He  had 
just  detected  the  approach  of  a  cavalier,  who,  turning 
quickly  round  the  corner  of  a  street,  advanced,  wrapped 
in  a  large  cloak,  and  stopped  just  before  his  eyes.  Scarcely 
had  the  pale  stranger  in  the  arbor  (who  was  no  other  than 
Maurevel)  a  little  recovered  from  the  agitation  occasioned 
by  the  unexpected  presence  of  the  cavalier,  than  he  ob- 
served that  the  latter  was  joined  by  a  second  person,  dressed 
in  the  garb  of  a  page. 

Concealed  beneath  his  leafy  bower,  Maurevel  could  see 
and  hear  all  that  passed  in  a  conversation,  the  importance 
of  which  may  be  imagined,  when  it  is  known  that  the 
cavalier  in  the  cloak  was  De  Mouy,  and  the  young  man 
Orthon  the  page. 

Both  looked  carefully  around  them,  while  Maurevel  held 
his  breath,  lest  a  sound  should  escape  him. 

"  You  may  speak  now  in  safety,"  said  the  younger  and 
more  confident  of  the  two  :  "  we  are  quite  secure  here  ; 
none  can  either  see  or  hear  us." 

"  'Tis  well ! "  answered  De  Mouy.  "  Now  attend  !  you 
are  to  go  to  Madame  de  Sauve's,  and  should  she  be  at  home, 
give  this  into  her  own  hands  ;  but  if  she  be  not  in  her 
apartments,  then  place  the  letter  where  the  king  is  accus- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  373 

tomed  to  deposit  his — behind  the  mirror.  Wait  at  the 
Louvre  ;  and  if  any  reply  is  sent,  bring  it,  you  know  where. 
Should  you  not  be  charged  with  an  answer,  then  meet  me 
to-night,  with  a  petronel,  at  the  spot  I  pointed  out  to  you, 
and  which  I  have  just  left." 

"  Enough  ! "  said  Orthon  ;  "  I  understand." 

"I  must  now  leave  you,"  continued  De  Mouy  :  "I  have 
much  to  do  during  the  day.  It  will  be  useless  for  you  to 
go  to  the  Louvre  till  Tie  is  there  ;  and  I  have  every  reason 
to  believe  he  will  be  engaged  all  day  studying  hawking  ; 
so  be  gone,  my  boy,  and  execute  your  bidding  :  fear  not  to 
show  yourself  at  the  Louvre  •  you  can  say  that,  being  now 
quite  recovered,  you  come  to  thank  Madame  de  Sauve  for 
the  kind  care  she  took  of  you  during  your  illness." 

Maurevel,  with  fixed  gaze,  continued  to  listen  till  the 
perspiration  gathered  in  large  drops  on  his  forehead.  His 
first  impulse  had  been  to  detach  one  of  the  pistols  from  his 
belt,  and  take  deadly  aim  at  De  Mouy,  but  at  that  instant 
the  sudden  opening  of  thelatter's  cloak  displayed  a  cuirass 
firm  and  solid  enough  to  resist  all  such  futile  attempts. 

Then,  again,  he  reflected,  that  merely  separated  by  so 
slight  a  barrier,  one  spring  would  bring  De  Mouy  on  him  ; 
and  what  chance  could  a  poor  wounded,  enfeebled  being 
like  himself  have  with  so  powerful  an  assailant  ? — with  a 
sigh,  therefore,  he  drew  back  the  weapon,  mentally  ex- 
claiming : 

"  How  unfortunate  that  I  cannot  stretch  him  dead  on 
the  spot,  without  any  other  witness  than  that  young  varlet, 
who  would  have  served  as  a  capital  mark  for  my  second 
pistol  ! " 

Then,  on  the  other  hand,  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
billet  sent  by  the  page  to  Madame  de  Sauve  might  prob- 
ably be  better  worth  taking  than  the  life  of  the  Huguenot 
chief. 

"Well," said  he,  "be  it  so,  then  ;  you  escape  me  this 
morning,  but  to-morrow  I  will  settle  a11  scores  with  you, 
if  I  pursue  you  to  that  hell  from  which  you  ha,  9  sprung  to 
ruin  me,  unless  I  first  destroy  you!  " 

At  this  instant,  De  Mouy,  folding  his  cloak  around  him, 


374:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

and  concealing  his  features  in  its  large  folds,  departed  in 
the-direction  of  the  Temple,  while  Orthon  took  the  road 
that  conducted  to  the  banks  of  the  river. 

Then  Maurevel,  rising  with  more  of  energy  and  vigor 
than  he  had  ventured  to  reckon  on,  regained  the  Eue  de  la 
Cerisaie,  caused  a  horse  to  be  saddled,  and,  weak  as  he  was 
and  at  the  risk  of  again  opening  his  newly-closed  wounds, 
he  set  off  at  full  gallop  towards  the  Rue  Saint- Antoine, 
reached  the  quays,  and  darted  into  the  Louvre. 

Five  minutes  after  he  had  passed  the  wicket,  Catherine 
was  in  full  possession  of  all  that  had  transpired,  aid 
Maurevel  had  received  the  thousand  golden  crowns  prom- 
ised him  for  the  arrest  of  the  King  of  Navarre. 

"Yes — yes  ! "  exclaimed  Catherine,  ex  ultingly,  "either 
lam  much  deceived,  or  De  Mouy  will  turn  out  thj  black 
spot  discovered  by  Rene  in  the  horoscope  of  this  detested 
Bearnais." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  after  De  Maurevel,  Orthon  reached 
the  Louvre,  and  having  fearlessly  shown  himself,  as  direct- 
ed by  De  Mouy,  proceeded,  unmolested,  to  the  apartments 
of  Madame  de  Sauve,  where  he  found  only  Dariole,  who 
informed  him  that  her  lady  was  occupied,  by  the  queen's 
orders,  in  transcribing  letters  for  her  majesty,  who  had 
summoned  her  for  that  purpose  within  the  last  five 
minutes. 

"  It  does  not  signify,"  replied  Orthon  ;  "  I  can  wait." 
Then,  profiting  by  the  freedom  he  had  always  been  per- 
mitted to  observe,  he  went  into  the  adjoining  chamber, 
which  was  the  sleeping-room  of  the  baroness,  and  after  as- 
suring himself  that  he  was  unobserved,  carefully  deposited 
the  billet  behind  the  looking-glass.  Just  as  he  was  with- 
drawing his  hand  from  the  mirror,  Catherine  entered  the 
room.  Orthon  changed  color,  for  he  fancied  the  quick, 
searching  glance  of  the  queen-mother  was  first  directed  to 
the  glass. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here,  my  little  fellow  ?"  asked 
Catherine  j  "seeking  for  Madame  de  Sauve,  I  sup- 
pose ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,  your  majesty ;  it  is  a  long  time  since  I 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  37-5 

saw  her,  and  if  I  delay  returning  her  my  grateful  thanks, 
I  fear  she  will  think  me  ungrateful." 

"  You  love  Madame  de  Sauve,  then,  very  much,  do  you 
not?" 

"  Oh,  that  I  do,  with  all  my  heart !  I  can  never  forget 
the  kindness  Madame  de  Sauve  condescended  to  bestow  oil 
a  humble  servitor  like  myself. " 

"  And  upon  what  occasion  was  it  that  she  showed  you 
all  this  care  and  attention  ?"  inquired  Catherine,  feigning 
to  be  ignorant  of  what  had  befallen  the  youth. 

"  When  I  was  wounded,  madame,  the  night  that  they 
tried  to  arrest  the  King  of  Navarre.  I  was  so  terrified  at 
the  sight  of  the  soldiers,  that  I  called  out  for  help,  upon 
which  one  of  them  gave  me  a  blow  on  the  head,  and  I  fell 
senseless  to  the  ground." 

"  Poor  child  !  and  you  are  now  quite  recovered  ?  " 

"  Oh,  quite,  madame  !" 

"  And  that  being  the  case,"  continued  Catherine,  "  I 
suppose  you  are  trying  to  get  back  into  the  service  of  the 
King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  madame ;  when  the  King  of  Navarre 
learned  that  I  had  presumed  to  resist  your  majesty's  orders, 
he  dismissed  me  in  heavy  displeasure/' 

"  Eeally  !  "  said  Catherine,  with  atone  expressive  of  the 
deepest  interest.  "  Well,  I  will  take  the  arrangement  of 
that  affair  into  my  own  hands ;  but  if  you  are  looking  for 
Madame  de  Sauve,  you  will  do  so  in  vain  ;  she  is  at  this 
moment  busily  occupied  in  my  apartments,  and  likely  to 
be  detained  much  longer  over  her  employment." 

Then,  thinking  that  Orthon  might  not  have  had  time  to 
place  his  billet  behind  the  glass  previous  to  her  entrance, 
she  returned  to  the  adjoining  chamber,  in  order  to  afford 
the  requisite  opportunity  for  his  so  doing. 

But  just  ..s  Orthon,  uneasy  at  the  unexpected  arrival  of 
the  queen-mother,  was  asking  himself  whether  the  circum- 
stance did  not  in  some  way  forebode  evil  to  his  master,  he 
heard  three  gentle  taps  against  the  ceiling,  the  very  signal 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  using  to  warn  his  master  of  the  ap- 
proach of  danger  during  his  visits  to  Madame  de  Sauve. 


376  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

He  started  at  the  sound  :  a  sudden  light  seemed  to  break 
in  upon  his  mind,  and  he  appropriated  the  warning  to  him- 
self— danger  was  near,  doubtless  ;  and  hastily  springing 
towards  the  mirror,  he  withdrew  the  paper  he  had  pre- 
viously placed  there. 

Through  a  rent  in  the  tapestried  hangings,  Catherine 
watched  every  movement  of  the  youth  ;  she  saw  him  dart 
forward  to  the  mirror,  but  whether  to  take  away  or  to  con- 
ceal the  coveted  paper,  she  could  not  detect.  Returning 
to  the  apartment,  with  a  smiling  countenance,  she  said  : 

"  "What,  here  still,  my  little  man  ?  What  can  you  be 
waiting  for  ? — did  I  not  promise  to  take  charge  of  your 
future  prospects  ?  Do  you  doubt  my  word  ?  " 

"Heaven  f orf end,  madam e  \"  replied  Orthon,  bowing 
low ;  then  kneeling  before  the  queen,  he  kissed  the  hem 
of  her  robe,  and  hastily,  quitted  the  room.  As  he  went 
out,  he  observed  the  captain  of  the  guards,  waiting  the 
orders  of  Catherine,  in  the  antechamber.  This  was  far 
from  calming  his  apprehensions ;  on  the  contrary,  it  in- 
creased the  vague  terror  under  which  he  already  labored. 

Immediately  the  folds  of  the  massy  curtain  which  hung 
before  the  door  had  closed  on  the  form  of  Orthon,  Cath- 
erine darted  into  the  chamber,  where  she  expected  to  find 
the  so-ardently-desired  billet  ;  but  vainly  did  she  thrust 
her  eager  hand  behind  the  mirror  ;  no  paper  of  any  kind 
was  there.  Again  she  shook  the  solid  frame,  tapped 
against  the  glass,  looked  diligently  around,  to  see  if  aught 
had  fallen.  All  her  impatient  research  availed  not — no 
letter  could  she  find.  Yet  her  eyes  had  not  deceived  her  : 
she  had  distinctly  seen  the  youth  approach  the  mirror  ; 
but  doubtless  the  action  she  witnessed  was  to  repossess 
himself  of  his  deposit — not  to  place  his  billet. 

"Unhappy  boy  I"  cried  she  ;  "what  evil  destiny  urged 
you  thus  to  attempt  to  measure  strength  with  me.  I  had 
rather  not  have  been  your  enemy,  as  I  now  must  be. 
Ho  !  there,  M.  de  Nancey  ! " 

The  sonorous  voice  of  the  queen  traversed  the  salon, 
and  penetrated  even  to  the  ante-room,  where  M.  de  Nance~ 
awaited  her  orders.  '  I 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  377 

At  the  sound  of  his  name,  thus  pronounced,  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guards  lost  not  an  instant  in  obeying  the  sum- 
mons. 

"  What  is  your  majesty's  pleasure  ?"  said  he,  on  enter- 
ing. 

"  Did  you  but  now  observe  a  youth — nay,  a  mere  child — 
go  hence  ?  " 

"  I  did,  madame." 

"  Call  him  back." 

"  By  what  name  shall  I  address  him  ?  " 

"  By  that  of  Orthon.  Should  he  refuse  to  return,  bring 
him  back  by  force,  but  do  not  alarm  him,  if  he  comes  un- 
resistingly. I  must  speak  with  him  directly." 

The  captain  of  the  guards  rushed  out  to  obey  the  queen. 

Orthon  had  scarcely  got  half  way  down-stairs,  when  he 
heard  himself  called,  and  a  cold  shudder  seized  him,  for 
he  guessed  who  had  sent  for  him. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  fly,  but  with  an  accuracy  of 
judgment  above  his  years,  he  quickly  perceived  that  flight 
would  be  certain  ruin.  He  therefore  stopped,  and  in- 
quired : 

"  Who  calls  me  ?  " 

"  I  do — M.de  Nan cey," replied  the  captain  of  the  guards, 
hurriedly  descending  the  stairs. 

"  But  I  am  in  a  very  great  hurry,  and  cannot  stay," 
replied  Orthon. 

"  By  order  of  her  majesty  the  queen-mother,  I  com- 
mand you  to  accompany  me  back." 

The  terrified  boy  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow, 
and  followed  M.  de  Nancey  back  to  the  apartments  of 
Madame  de  Sauve. 

As   Orthon  *  entered  the  apartment  where  the  queen- 
mother  awaited,  he  trembled,  and  a  deathly  paleness  came 
over  him.     The  poor  boy  was  as  yet  too  young  to  exercise 
a  more  practised  control  over  himself.     "  Your  majesty," 
said  he,  with  a  palpitating  heart,  ' '  has  done  me  the  honor 
to  recall  me — may  I  presume  to  inquire  for  what  pur- 
,-pose?" 
pr(  "  Child  !"  answered  Catherine,  with  a  bright  and  en- 


878  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

conraging  smile,  "  your  countenance  pleases  me,  and  hav- 
ing promised  to  interest  myself  in  your  welfare,  I  am  de- 
sirous of  so  doing  without  any  delay  ;  but  first  tell  me, 
are  you  able  to  ride  well  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  madame  !  " 

"Tis  well ;  then  come  to  me  in  my  closet,  and  I  will 
give  you  a  message  to  carry  to  St-Germains." 

"  I  am  at  your  majesty's  commands." 

"  Then  order  a  horse  to  be  prepared,  M.  de  Nancey." 

The  captain  of  the  guards  disappeared  on  his  errand. 

"  Now  then,  boy !  "  said  Catherine,  leading  the  way  and 
signing  for  Orthon  to  follow  her. 

The  queen-mother  descended  a  floor,  then  entered  the 
corridor  in  which  were  situated  the  apartments  of  the 
Duke  d'Alen9on  and  the  king,  reached  the  winding  stair- 
case, again  descended  a  flight  of  stairs,  and  opened  a  door 
leading  to  a  circular  gallery,  of  which  none  but  the  king 
and  herself  possessed  the  key,  made  Orthon  pass  first ; 
then,  entering  after  him,  carefully  locked  the  door.  This 
gallery  formed  a  sort  of  rampart  round  a  portion  of  the 
apartments  occupied  by  the  king  and  queen-mother,  and 
resembled  the  corridor  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  at 
Rome,  or  that  of  the  Pitti  Palace  at  Florence,  destined  to 
serve  as  a  place  of  refuge  in  case  of  danger. 

The  door  secured,  Catherine  and  her  companion  found 
themselves  enclosed  in  a  dark  corridor.  Each  advanced  a 
few  steps  ;  the  queen  leading  the  way  and  the  page  follow- 
ing, when  suddenly  Catherine  turned  round,  &nC  Orthon 
perceived  on  her  countenance  the  same  gloomy  expression 
it  had  worn  a  few  minutes  previously.  Her  eyes,  of  the 
shape  and  color  of  the  cat  or  panther,  seemed  to  dart  forth 
sparks  of  fire. 

"  Stop  ! "  cried  she. 

Poor  Orthon  felt  a  cold  shiver  pervade  his  frame,  while 
the  damp,  chill  air  of  that  unfrequented  spot  seemed  to 
cling  around  him  like  an  icy  mantle.  The  ground  he  trod 
upon  seemed  to  re-echo  the  dull  moaning  of  a  tomb.  All 
this,  combined  with  the  fierce,  penetrating  look  of  Cath- 
erine, and  his  own  uneasy  fears,  proved  too  much  for  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  379 

page,  who  sunk  nearly  paralyzed  against  the  walls  of  this 
fearful  spot. 

"Where/'  said  the  queen-mother,  fixing  on  him  her 
sharp,  intimidating  glance,  "  is  the  billet  yon  were  desired 
to  give  to  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  The  billet  ?  "  stammered  Orthon. 

"  Aye,  the  billet — which,  in  the  event  of  not  finding  the 
king,  you  were  instructed  to  place  behind  the  mirror." 

"Indeed,  madame,"  said  Orthon,  "I  know  not  what 
your  majesty  alludes  to." 

"  Nay,  I  but  ask  for  the  billet  given  you  by  M.  de  Mouy, 
about  an  hour  since,  behind  the  Archery  Garden." 

"  Your  majesty  is  wholly  mistaken  or  misinformed," 
answered  Orthon  ;  "  I  have  no  billet  of  any  kind." 

"'Tis  false!"  said  Catherine.  "Give  me  that  letter, 
and  I  will  perform  the  promise  I  have  made  you." 

"Indeed,  indeed,  madame,  I  have  no  billet  to  give  up." 

Catherine  began  to  lose  all  patience.  She  ground  her 
teeth  with  rage  ;  then  suddenly  checking  herself,  and  as- 
suming a  bland  smile,  she  said  : 

"  Come,  come,  foolish  boy,  surrender  that  useless  paper, 
and  a  thousand  golden  crowns  shall  be  your  reward." 

"  But  how  can  I  give  you  what  I  do  not  possess  ? 
Please  your  majesty  to  credit  me  ;  I  have  no  such  billet  in 
my  keeping." 

"  You  shall  have  two  thousand  crowns  ! " 

"  Nay,  gracious  madame,  since  I  have  nothing  to  give, 
I  cannot  give  it." 

"  Say  ten  thousand  crowns  !  " 

Orthon,  who,  young  as  he  was,  could  plainly  perceive 
the  rising  anger  of  the  queen,  decided  that  the  only  chance 
remaining  of  preserving  his  master's  secret  was  to  swallow 
the  disputed  billet.  With  this  design,  he  attempted  to 
take  it  from  his  pocket,  but  the  quick  eye  of  Catherine 
divined  his  intention  and  stayed  his  purpose. 

"  There,  there,  my  child  ! "  said  she,  laughing,  "  that 
will  do.  Your  fidelity,  it  seems,  is  above  all  temptation. 
Well — when  royalty  would  secure  to  itself  a  faithful  fol- 
lower, it  is  requisite  to  try  the  devotedness  of  the  heart  it 

DUMAS— VOL.  III.— 17 


380  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

would  attach.  I  now  know  what  opinion  to  form  of  your 
zeal  and  faithfulness.  Take  this  purse,  in  earnest  of  my 
future  bounty,  and  carry  the  billet  to  your  master,  with 
an  intimation  that,  after  to-day,  I  take  you  into  my  serv- 
ice. You  may  now  depart :  you  can  let  yourself  out  by 
the  door  we  entered  at — it  opens  from  within." 

So  saying,  Catherine  placed  a  heavily-filled  purse  in  the 
hands  of  the  astonished  youth,  and  then  walked  on  a  few 
steps,  placing  her  hand  against  the  wall. 

"  Thanks,  gracious  madame ! "  murmured  Orthon. 
"  Then  you  are  good  enough  to  pardon  me  all  I  have  done 
to  displease  you  ?  " 

"  Nay,  more  ;  I  reward  you  as  a  faithful  bearer  of  billets- 
doux — a  pleasing  messenger  of  love  !  One  only  fault  I  find 
with  you  ;  you  forget  that  your  master  is  waiting  for  you." 

"  True  ! "  said  the  youth,  springing  towards  the  door. 

But  scarcely  had  he  advanced  two  or  three  steps,  than 
the  ground  gave  way  beneath  his  feet.  He  stumbled,  ex- 
tended his  hands,  with  a  fearful  cry,  and  disappeared  in 
one  of  those  horrible  oubliettes  of  the  Louvre  of  which 
Catherine  had  just  touched  the  spring. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Catherine,  "  thanks  to  this  fool's  ob- 
stinacy, I  shall  have  nearly  two  hundred  stairs  to  descend  !  " 

The  Florentine  then  returned  to  her  apartments,  from 
whence  she  took  a  dark  lantern ;  then  returning  to  the 
gallery,  closed  the  spring,  and  opened  the  door  of  a  spiral 
staircase,  which  seemed  as  though  contrived  to  penetrate 
into  the  very  bowels  of  the  earth.  Proceeding  along  the 
windings  of  this  descent,  she  reached  a  second  door, 
which,  revolving  on  its  hinges,  admitted  to  the  depths  of 
the  oubliette,  where — crushed,  bleeding,  and  mutilated,  by 
a  fall  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet — lay  the  still  palpita- 
ting form  of  poor  Orthon  ;  while,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
wall  forming  the  barrier  of  this  dreadful  spot,  the  waters 
of  the  Seine  were  heard  to  ripple  by,  brought  by  a  species 
of  subterraneous  filtration  to  the  foot  of  the  staircase. 

Having  reached  the  damp  and  unwholesome  abyss, 
which  during  her  reign  had  witnessed  numerous  similar 
scenes  to  that  now  enacted,  Catherine  proceeded  to  search 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  381 

the  corpse,  eagerly  drew  forth  the  desired  billet,  ascertained 
by  the  lantern  that  it  was  the  one  she  sought,  then  push- 
ing the  mangled  body  from  her,  she  pressed  a  spring,  the 
bottom  of  the  oubliette  sank  down,  and  the  corpse,  borne 
by  its  own  weight,  disappeared  towards  the  river. 

Closing  the  door  after  her,  she  reascended  ;  and  re- 
turning to  her  closet,  read  the  paper  poor  Orthon  had  so 
valiantly  defended.  It  was  conceived  in  these  words  : 

"  This  evening  at  ten  o'clock,  Eue  de  1'Arbre-Sec,  Hdtel 
de  la  belle  Etoile.  Should  you  come,  no  reply  is  requisite  ; 
if  otherwise,  send  word  back,  No,  by  the  bearer. 

"  De  MOUY  DE  SAINT- PHALE." 

As  Catherine  read  these  words,  a  smile  of  triumph 
curled  her  lip.  She  thought  only  of  the  victory  she  had 
gained,  without  once  considering  the  price  she  had  pur- 
chased it  at. 

And  after  all,  what  was  Orthon  ?  Merely  a  faithful, 
devoted  follower  ;  a  young,  a  handsome,  and  noble-minded 
youth.  Nothing  more  ! 

The  billet  read,  Catherine  immediately  returned  to  the 
apartments  of  Madame  de  Sauve,  and  placed  it  behind  the 
mirror.  As  she  returned,  she  found  the  captain  of  the 
guards  in  the  corridor,  awaiting  her  further  commands. 

"  Madame,"  said  M.  de  Nancey,  "  according  to  your 
majesty's  orders  the  horse  has  been  duly  prepared." 

"Ah,  indeed!"  said  Catherine.  "But  we  shall  not 
need  the  horse  you  have  prepared.  Upon  questioning 
the  youth,  I  find  he  is  not  sufficiently  intelligent  to  be 
entrusted  with  the  message  I  designed  to  send  by  him.  I 
have  therefore  made  him  a  little  present,  and  dismissed 
him  by  the  small  side- wicket." 

"  But,"  persisted  M.  de  Nancey,  "  your  majesty's  com- 
mission ?  " 

"  What  commission  ?  "  asked  Catherine. 

"  That  which  your  majesty  proposed  accomplishing  by 
means  of  this  youth.  Will  it  please  you  that  I  go  myself, 
or  send  one  of  my  men  to  do  your  royal  command  ?  " 


382  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  No,"  said  Catherine  ;  "  both  you  and  your  men,  M. 
de  Nancey,  will  have  other  work  this  evening. " 

And  Catherine  returned  to  her  apartments,  in  full  hope 
and  expectation  of  holding  the  detested  King  of  Navarre 
in  her  power  ere  the  morrow's  sun  had  risen. 


CHAPTER  XLVL 

THE  HOSTELRY  OF  "  LA  BELLE  ETOILE." 

Two  hours  after  the  event  we  have  described,  Madame 
de  Sauve,  having  completed  her  attendance  on  the  queen, 
entered  her  apartments  ;  Henry  followed  her ;  and  Dari- 
ole  having  informed  him  that  Orthon  had  been,  he  went 
to  the  glass,  and  took  the  billet. 

It  was,  as  we  have  seen,  couched  in  these  terms  : 

"  This  evening  at  ten  o'clock,  Rue  de  1'Arbre-Sec,  Hdtel 
de  la  Belle  Etoile.     Should  you  come,   no  reply  is  requi- 
site ;  if  otherwise,  send  word  back,  No,  by  the  bearer. 
"DE  MOUY  DE  SALKTT-PHALE." 

There  was  no  address  upon  it. 

"  Henry  is  certain  to  go,"  had  thought  Catherine  ;  "for 
even  did  he  not  wish  it,  he  cannot  find  the  bearer  to  tell 
him  so." 

Catherine  was  right  ;  Henry  inquired  after  Orthon. 
Dariole  told  him  he  had  gone  out  with  the  queen-nuther ; 
but  Henry  felt  no  uneasiness,  as  he  knew  Orthon  was  in- 
capable of  betraying  him. 

He  dined,  as  he  was  accustomed,  at  the  king's  table, 
who  rallied  him  upon  the  mistakes  he  had  made  that 
morning  in  hawking.  Henry  excused  himself,  alleging  he 
dwelt  on  the  mountains,  and  not  in  the  plains ;  but  he 
promised  Charles  to  learn  the  noble  art  better. 

Catherine  was  in  an  excellent  humor  ;  and  when  she 
rose  from  table,  requested  Marguerite  to  pass  the  evening 
with  her. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  383 

At  eight  o'clock,  Henry  took  two  of  his  gentlemen, 
went  out  by  the  Porte  St.  Honore,  entered  again  by  the 
Tour  de  Bois,  crossed  the  Seine  at  the  ferry  of  the  Nesle, 
mounted  the  Rue  Saint-Jacques,  and  there  dismissed  them, 
as  if  he  were  going  to  an  amorous  rendezvous.  At  the 
corner  of  the  Rue  des  Mathurins  he  found  a  man  on  horse- 
back, wrapped  in  a  large  cloak  :  he  approached  him. 

"  Mantes  \"  said  the  man. 

"  Pan  !"  replied  the  king. 

The  horseman  instantly  dismounted.  Henry  wrapped 
himself  in  his  splashed  mantle,  sprang  on  his  steed,  rode 
down  the  Rue  de  la  Harpe,  crossed  the  Pont  St.  Michel, 
passed  the  Rue  Barthelemy,  crossed  the  river  again  on  the 
Pont  au  Meunier,  descended  the  quays,  reached  the  Rue 
de  1'Arbre-Sec,  and  knocked  at  Maitre  la  Huriere's. 

La  Mole  was  in  a  little  chamber,  writing  a  long  love- 
letter  ;  to  whom  may  be  easily  imagined, 

Coconnas  was  in  the  kitchen,  watching  half  a  dozen 
partridges  roasting,  and  disputing  with  La  Huriere  as  to 
whether  they  were  done  or  not. 

At  this  moment  Henry  knocked,  Gregoire  went  to  take 
his  horse,  and  the  traveler  entered,  stamping  on  the  floor 
as  if  to  warm  his  feet. 

"  Eh  !  "  said  La  Mole,  continuing  to  write ;  "  La  Hu- 
riere, here  is  a  gentleman  wants  you." 

La  Huriere  advanced,  and  looked  at  Henry  ;  and  as  his 
large  cloak  did  not  inspire  him  with  very  great  veneration  : 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  Eh,  sang  Dieu  !  "  returned  Henry,  pointing  to  La 
Mole.  "  I  am,  as  the  gentleman  told  you,  a  Gascon  gen- 
tleman come  to  court." 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

*  A  room  and  supper." 

"  I  do  not  let  a  room  to  any  one,  unless  he  has  a 
lackey." 

"  Oh,  but  I  will  pay  you  a  rose  noble  for  your  room  and 
supper." 

'•  You  are  very  generous,  worthy  sir,"  said  La  Huriere, 
with  some  distrust. 


384  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  No ;  but  expecting  to  sup  here,  I  invited  a  friend  of 
mine  to  meet  me.  Have  you  any  good  wine  of  Artois  ?  " 

"  I  have  as  good  as  Henry  of  Navarre  drinks." 

"  Ah,  good  !     Here  is  my  friend."  ( 

As  he  spoke,  the  door  opened,  and  a  gentleman  some- 
what older  than  the  first,  and  having  a  long  rapier  at  his 
side,  entered. 

"  Ah,  ah,"  said  he,  "you  are  exact,  my  young  friend. 
It  is  something  for  a  man  who  has  traveled  two  hundred 
leagues  to  be  so  punctual." 

"  Is  this  your  guest  ?"  asked  La  Huri^re. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  first,  shaking  hands  with  the  young 
man  with  the  rapier. 

"Maitre,"  said  La  Mole  to  La  Huriere,  "free  us  from 
these  Huguenot  fellows  ;  Coconnas  and  I  cannot  converse 
together  whilst  they  are  there." 

"  Carry  the  supper  into  No.  2,  on  the  third  floor,"  said 
La  Huriere.  "Up-stairs,  gentlemen." 

The  two  travelers  followed  Gregoire,  who  lighted 
them. 

Coconnas  watched  them  until  they  disappeared,  and 
then  came  close  to  La  Mole. 

"  Did  you  see  them  ?  " 

"  Aye,  truly." 

"  And  who  are  they  ?  " 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  » 

"  I'd  swear  they  are  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  the  man  in 
the  scarlet  mantle." 

"  Aye,  perhaps  so." 

"  Well,  you  may  rely  on  it,  there  is  some  plot  going 
on." 

"  Oh,  no  ;  some  love  intrigue." 

"  Bah  !  no  such  thing.  However,  I  do  not  belong  to 
the  Duke  d'Ale^on  now — so  I  care  not.  Let's  go  to 
supper." 

Meantime  Henry  and  De  Mouy  were  installed  in  their 
chamber. 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  have  you  seen  Or- 
thon?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  385 

"  No  ;  but  I  found  his  billet.  I  suppose  he  was  fright- 
ened, for  the  queen  saw  him.  I  had  some  fear  about  him  ; 
for  Dariole  told  me  the  queen  had  a  long  conversation 
with  him." 

"  Oh,  there  is  no  danger ;  he  is  very  quick-witted.  I 
will  venture  to  say  the  queen  did  not  learn  much  from 
him." 

"  Have  you  seen  him  yourself  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  he  will  come  this  evening  to  fetch  me,  armed 
with  a  good  petronel ;  and  he  can  tell  us  what  passed  as 
we  walk  along." 

"  That  is  right ;  besides,  La  Mole  is  on  the  watch 
down-stairs,  and  should  anything  occur,  he  will  give  us 
notice." 

"  Well  !  what  says  M.  d'Alen9on  ?" 

"  He  will  not  go  ;  he  says  so  distinctly.  The  departure' 
of  D'Anjou,  and  the  king's  illness,  have  made  him  alter 
his  mind." 

"  It  is  he  who  has  spoilt  our  plan  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  It  was  he  betrayed  us  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  he  is  ready  to  do  so  on  the  first  opportunity." 

"  Coward !  traitor  ! — why  did  he  not  answer  my 
letters?" 

"In  order  to  have  proofs  against  you,  and  that  you 
should  have  none  against  him.  Meantime,  all  is  then 
lost ;  is  it  not  so,  De  Mouy  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  won  :  you  know  all  the  party,  except 
De  Condi's  fraction,  were  for  you,  and  only  used  D'Alen- 
e,on  as  a  safeguard.  Since  the  day  of  the  ceremony  I  have 
arranged  everything.  I  shall  have  fifteen  hundred  horse 
ready  in  a  week  ;  they  will  be  posted  on  the  road  to  Pau  ; 
they  will  surely  suffice  ?  " 

Henry  smiled,  and  laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's 
shoulder. 

"  De  Mouy,"  said  he,  "  you,  and  you  alone,  know  the 
King  of  Navarre  is  not  such  a  coward  as  men  think." 

"  I  know  it,  sire  ;  and  I  trust  ere  long  all  France  will 
know  it  too.  When  do  you  hunt  again  ?  " 


386  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  In  a  week  or  ten  days." 

"  Well,  everything  seems  quiet  now.  No  one  thinks  of 
the  Duke  d'Anjou  ;  the  king  gets  better  every  day ;  the 
persecution  against  us  has  ceased.  Play  the  amiable  with 
the  queen-mother  and  M.  d'Alenqon  ;  tell  the  duke  you 
cannot  go  without  him,  and  try  and  make  him  believe 
you." 

"  Oh,  he  shall  believe  me  ! " 

"  Has  he  such  confidence  in  you  ?  * 

"  Not  in  me,  but  in  the  queen." 

"  And  is  the  queen  true  to  us  ?  " 

"  1  have  ample  proofs  of  it ;  besides,  she  is  ambitious. " 

"  Well,  three  days  before  you  hunt,  tell  me  where  it  will 
be — at  Bondy,  at  St.  Germain's,  or  at  Kambouillet.  When 
you  see  La  Mole,  spur  on — follow  him  ;  once  out  of  the 
forest,  they  must  have  fleet  steeds  to  overtake  us." 

"  Agreed." 

"  Have  you  money,  sire  ?" 

Henry  made  the  same  grimace  he  made  all  his  life  at 
the  same  question. 

"Not  much/'  said  he  ;  "  but  I  believe  Margot  has." 

"  Well,  bring  all  you  can  with  you.  Orthon  tells  me 
he  saw  that  scoundrel  Man  revel,  whom  Ren6  has  cured, 
walking  about  the  Arsenal." 

"Ah,  I  understand." 

"  You  will  be  king  some  day,  and  will  avenge  yourself 
as  a  king ;  I  am  a  soldier,  and  avenge  myself  as  one. 
When  all  my  affairs  are  arranged,  which  will  be  in  five  or 
six  days,  I  will  walk  around  the  Arsenal  myself,  and  after 
giving  him  two  or  three  rapier  thrusts,  I  shall  quit  Paris." 

"  Do  as  you  will.  Ah  !  what  do  you  think  of  La 
Mole?" 

"  A  charming  fellow — brave  and  faithful." 

"  And  discreet ;  he  must  follow  us,  and  then  I  must 
think  of  his  reward." 

As  Henry  pronounced  these  words,  the  door  flew  open, 
and  La  Mole  rushed  in. 

"  Quick !  quick  ! "  cried  he,  "  the  house  is  sur- 
rounded." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  387 

"  Surrounded  !  "  said  Henry,  "  by  whom  ?  " 

"  By  the  king's  guards." 

"  Oh/'  said  De  Mouy,  drawing  two  pistols  from  his  belt, 
"  battle,  then  ! " 

"  What  can  you  do  against  fifty  men  ?  "  said  La  Mole. 
-    "  He  is  right,"  said  the  king,  "  and  if  there  were  any 
means  of  retreat " 

' '  I  know  one,"  said  La  Mole,  "  if  your  majesty  will 
follow  me." 

"  And  De  Mouy " 

"  Can  follow  us  ;  but  you  must  be  quick." 

Steps  were  heard  on  the  stairs. 

"  It  is  too  late,"  said  Henry. 

"  If  you  could  occupy  them  five  minutes,"  said  La 
Mole,  "I  could  save  the  king." 

"I  will  occupy  them,"  said  De  Mouy. 

"  But  what  will  you  do  ?  " 

"  Oh,  do  not  fear  for  me  ! " 

And  De  Mouy  rapidly  concealed  the  king's  plate,  goblet, 
and  napkin,  so  that  it  might  seem  he  had  supped  alone. 

"  Come,  sire— come  ! "  cried  La  Mole. 

"  My  brave  De  Mouy,"  said  Henry. 

De  Mony  seized  his  hand,  kissed  it,  pushed  the  door  to 
the  instant  they  were  outside,  and  bolted  it. 

"  Quick — quick,  sire  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  they  are  on  the 
stairs  ! " 

At  this  moment,  the  torches  were  visible  on  the  stairs, 
and  the  rattling  of  arms  was  heard. 

La  Mole  guided  the  king  in  the  darkness,  and  conduct- 
ing him  two  stories  higher,  opened  a  door,  which  he  then 
secured,  and  opening  the  window  : 

"  Does  your  majesty  fear  an  excursion  on  the  roofs  ?  " 
said  he. 

"  I,  a  chamois  hunter  !  " 

"  Follow  me,  and  I  will  guide  you." 

And,  getting  out  of  the  window,  La  Mole  clambered 
along  the  ridge,  then  passed  along  a  gully  formed  by  two 
roofs,  at  the  end  of  which  was  the  open  window  of  a  garret. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  La  Mole. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  So  much  the  better/'  returned  Henry,  wiping  the  per- 
spiration from  his  brow. 

"  Now,  then,"  continued  La  Mole,  "  this  garret  com- 
municates with  a  staircase,  and  the  staircase  with  the 
street.  I  traveled  the  road  on  a  more  terrible  night  than 
this." 

"  Go  on — go  on  !  " 

La  Mole  sprang  into  the  open  window,  opened  the  door, 
and  placing  the  cord  that  served  as  a  baluster  in  Henry's 
hand  : 

"  Come,  sire,"  said  he. 

Henry  had  stopped  before  a  window  opposite  the  Belle 
Etoile  ;  the  stairs  were  crowded  with  armed  soldiers,  bear- 
ing torches.  Suddenly,  the  king  saw  a  group  descend 
the  stairs,  with  De  Mouy  in  the  midst ;  he  had  surren- 
dered his  sword,  and  walked  quietly  on. 

"  Brave  De  Mouy  ! "  said  the  king. 

"  Mafoi !  sire,  he  seems  very  composed,  and  even 
laughs  ;  he  meditates  some  plan,  for  he  seldom  smiles." 

"All  is  well,  then,"  replied  Henry.  "  Let  us  regain 
the  Louvre." 

"  Nothing  easier  ;  wrap  yourself  in  your  mantle,  for  the 
street  is  full  of  people,  and  we  shall  pass  for  spectators. " 

They  both  gained  the  Rue  d'Averon,  but  in  passing  by 
the  Eue  des  Poulies,  they  saw  De  Mouy  and  his  escort 
cross  the  plai,e  Saint-Gerrnam-PAuxerrois. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Henry,  "  they  are  taking  him  to  the 
Louvre.  Liable  I  the  wicket  will  be  closed  ;  they  will 
take  the  name  of  every  one  who  enters,  and  I  shall  be  sus- 
pected of  having  been  with  him." 

"  Well,  sire,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  there's  the  Queen  of 
Navarre's  window." 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  I  did  not  think  of  that.  But  how  shall  I 
attract  her  attention  ?  " 

"Oh,"  said  La  Mole,  bowing  with  an  air  of  respectful 
gratitude,  "  your  majesty  throws  stones  so  well." 


MAEGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  389 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 

/ 

DE  MOUT    DE    SAIKT-PHALE. 

THIS  time  Catherine  had  taken  her  precautions  so  well, 
that  she  believed  herself  sure  of  her  object. 

Consequently,  about  ten  o'clock,  she  had  sent  away 
Marguerite,  quite  convinced  that  the  Queen  of  Navarre 
was  ignorant  of  the  plot  against  her  husband,  and  went  to 
the  king. 

Puzzled  by  the  air  of  triumph  which,  in  spite  of  her 
habitual  dissimulation,  appeared  on  his  mother's  counte- 
nance, Charles  questioned  Catherine,  who  only  said  : 

"I  can  make  but  one  reply  to  your  majesty,  and  that  is, 
you  will  this  evening  be  delivered  from  two  of  your  bitter- 
est enemies." 

Charles  lowered  his  eyebrows,  like  a  man  who  says  to 
himself  :  "  This  is  well — we  shall  see  ;  "  and  whistled  his 
tall  boar-hound,  who  came  to  him,  dragging  his  belly 
along  the  ground  like  a  serpent,  and,  placing  his  fine  and 
intelligent  head  on  his  master's  knee,  crouched. 

After  a  few  minutes,  which  Catherine  passed  with  her 
eyes  fixed  and  ears  attentive,  there  was  suddenly  heard 
the  noise  of  a  pistol-shot  in  the  courtyard  of  the  Louvre. 

"What  noise  is  that  ?"  inquired  Charles,  with  a  frown, 
whilst  the  hound  rose  up  and  pricked  his  ears. 

"Nothing,"  Catherine  replied,  "it  was  only  a  signal." 

"  And  what  is  the  meaning  of  that  signal  ?  " 

"  It  means  that,  from  this  moment,  sire,  your  only,  your 
real  enemy  is  unable  any  longer  to  injure  you." 

"Have  they  been  killing  a  man?"  inquired  Charles, 
looking  at  his  mother  with  that  eye  of  command  which  sig- 
nified that  assassination  and  mercy  are  two  inherent  attri- 
butes of  royal  power. 

"  No,  sire,  they  have  only  arrested  two." 

"  Oh,"  murmured  Charles,  "  always  hidden  plots,  con- 


390  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

spiracies  against  the  king.  Mortdidble!  mother,  I  am  an 
oldish  boy,  big  enough  to  take  care  of  myself,  and  want 
neither  leading-strings  nor  swaddling-clothes.  Go  into 
Poland  with  your  son  Henry,  if  you  desire  to  reign ;  but 
here  you  are  wrong,  I  tell  you,  to  play  the  game  you  do." 

"My  son,"  replied  Catherine,  "this  is  the  last  time  I 
meddle  with  your  affairs ;  but  the  enterprise  was  com- 
menced long  since,  in  which  you  have  always  said  I  was 
Wrong,  whilst  I  have  laboi-ed  to  prove  I  was  right." 

At  this  moment  M.  de  Nancey  begged  an  audience  of 
the  king,  and  there  was  a  noise  of  footsteps  in  the  vesti- 
bule, and  the  butts  of  muskets  clattered  on  the  floor. 

"  Let  M.  de  Nancey  enter/'  said  the  king,  hastily. 

M.  de  Nancey  entered,  saluted  the  king,  and  then,  turn- 
ing to  the  queen-mother,  said  : 

"Madame,  your  orders  are  executed  ;  he  is  taken." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  he? "  cried  Catherine,  much 
troubled  ;  "  have  you  only  arrested  one  ?" 

"He  was  alone,  madame." 

"  Did  he  defend  himself  ?  "' 

"  No,  he  was  supping  quietly  in  a  room,  and  handed 
his  sword  the  moment  it  was  demanded." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  "  asked  the  king. 

"  You  will  see,"  said  Catherine.  '  Bring  in  the  pris- 
oner, M.  de  Nancey." 

De  Mouy  was  introduced. 

"  De  Mouy  ! "  exclaimed  the  king ;  "  Avhat  is  the  matter 
now?" 

"If,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  with  perfect  composure, 
"  your  majesty  would  allow  me  that  liberty,  I  would  ask 
the  same  question." 

"Instead  of  asking  this  question  of  the  king,"  said 
Catherine,  "  have  the  kindness,  M.  de  Mouy,  to  tell  my 
eon  who  was  the  man  who  was  in  the  chamber  of  the  King 
of  Navarre  on  a  certain  night,  and  who,  on  that  night, 
resisted  the  king's  orders,  like  a  rebel  as  he  is,  killed  two 
of  the  guards,  and  wounded  M.  de  Maurevel." 

"Yes,"  said  Charles,  frowning;  "do  yon  know  the 
name  of  that  man,  M.  de  Mouy  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  391 

"  I  do,  sire  ;  does  your  majesty  desire  to  know  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  would  give  me  pleasure,  I  confess." 

"  Well,  sire,  he  is  called  De  Mouy  de  Saint-Phale." 

"  It  was  you,  then  ?" 

"  It  was,  sire." 

Catherine,  astonished  at  this  audacity,  recoiled  before 
the  young  man. 

"  What  !  "  inquired  Charles  IX.,  "  dared  you  resist  the 
orders  of  the  king  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  sire,  I  was  ignorant  that  there  was 
an  order  of  your  majesty  ;  then  I  saw  only  one  thing,  or 
rather  but  one  man,  M.  de  Maurevel,  the  assassin  of  my 
father,  the  assailant  of  the  admiral.  I  remembered  that 
it  was  a  year  and  a  half  since,  in  the  very  chamber  in 
which  we  now  are,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  of  August, 
your  majesty  had  promised  me  to  do  us  justice  on  this 
murderer,  and  as  since  that  time  very  grave  events  had 
occurred,  I  thought  that  perchance  the  king  h;:/l  been,  in 
spite  of  himself,  turned  away  from  his  desires ;  seeing 
Maurevel  within  my  reach,  I  believed  heaven  had  sent  him 
there.  Your  majesty  knows  the  rest,  sire  ;  I  struck  him 
down  as  a  murderer,  and  fired  at  his  men  as  robbers." 

Charles  made  no  reply ;  his  friendship  for  Henry  had 
made  him  view  many  things  in  another  point  of  view  than 
he  had  at  first  seen  them. 

The  queen-mother,  in  reference  to  Saint  Bartholomew, 
had  set  down  in  her  memory  observations  which  had 
fallen  from  her  son,  very  much  resembling  remorse. 

"  But,"  observed  the  queen-mother,  "  what  were  you 
doing  at  that  hour  in  the  King  of  Navarre's  apartments  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  said  De  Mouy,  "  it  is  a  long  story  to  tell,  but  if 
his  majesty  has  the  patience  to  listen " 

"Yes/'  replied  Charles,  "I  should  wish  to  hear  it." 

"  I  will  obey,  sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  bowing. 

Catherine  sat  down,  fixing  an  uneasy  look  on  the  young 
chief. 

"  We  will  listen,"  said  Charles.     "  Here,  Actaeon  !  " 

The  dog  resumed  the  place  he  had  occupied  before  the 
prisoner  had  come  in. 


392  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  "I  came  to  his  majesty  the 
King  of  Navarre  as  the  deputy  of  our  brethren,  your  faith- 
ful subjects  of  the  Eeformed  religion " 

Catherine  made  a  sign  to  Charles  IX. 

"  Be  quiet,  madame,"  he  said  ;  "I  do  not  lose  a  word. 
Go  on,  M.  de  Mouy  ;  go  on." 

"  To  inform  the  King  of  Navarre,"  continued  De  Mouy, 
"  that  his  abjuration  had  lost  for  him  the  confidence  of 
the  Huguenot  party,  but  that,  nevertheless,  in  remem- 
brance of  his  father,  Antony  de  Bourbon,  and  especially 
out  of  regard  for  the  memory  of  his  mother,  the  coura- 
geous Jeanne  d'Albret,  whose  name  is  dear  amongst  us,  the 
chiefs  of  the  Keformed  religion  thought  it  a  mark  of  def- 
erence due  to  him,  to  beg  him  to  desist  from  his  claims 
to  the  crown  of  Navarre." 

"  What  said  he  ?"  asked  Catherine,  unable,  in  spite  of 
her  self-control,  to  receive  this  enexpected  blow  without 
wincing  a  little. 

"  Ah  !  ah  ! "  said  Charles,  "  but  this  crown  of  Navarre 
which,  without  my  permission,  was  made  thus  to  jump 
from  head  to  head,  seems  to  belong  a  little  to  me." 

"The  Huguenots,  sire,  recognize  better  than  any  one 
the  principle  of  sovereignty  which  your  majesty  has  just 
enunciated,  and  therefore  hope  to  induce  your  majesty  to 
place  the  crown  on  some  head  which  is  dear  to  you." 

"  I !  "  said  Charles  ;  "  on  a  head  which  is  dear  to  me  ! — 
mort  didble!  of  what  head,  then,  do  you  speak,  sir  ?  I  do 
not  understand  you." 

"  Of  the  head  of  the  Duke  d'Alen9on." 

Catherine  became  as  pale  as  death,  and  her  eyes  glared 
fiercely  on  De  Mouy. 

"  And  did  my  brother  D'Alen9on  know  this  ?  " 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  And  accepted  the  crown  ?  " 

"  Subject  to  your  majesty's  consent,  to  which  he  referred 
us." 

"  Ah  I  ah  ! "  said  Charles,  "  it  is,  indeed,  a  crown  which 
would  suit  our  brother  D'AlenQon  wonderfully  well  !  And 
that  I  should  never  have  thought  of  it !  Thanks,  De 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8.  393 

Mouy — thanks  !  when  you  have  such  ideas  you  will  always 
be  welcome  at  the  palace." 

"  Sire,  you  would  long  since  have  been  informed  of  all 
this,  but  for  the  unfortunate  affair  of  the  Louvre,  which 
made  me  fear  that  I  had  fallen  into  disgrace  with  your 
majesty." 

"  Yes ;  but,"  asked  Catherine,  "  what  said  the  King  of 
Navarre  to  this  proposal  ?  " 

"  The  king,  madame,  yielded  to  the  desiro  of  his  breth- 
ren, and  his  renunciation  was  ready." 

"In  this  case,"  cried  Catherine,  "you  must  have  that 
renunciation." 

"  I  have,  madame,"  said  De  Mouy  ;  "  and  by  chance  I 
have  it  about  me,  signed  by  him,  and  dated." 

"  Of  a  date  anterior  to  the  affair  in  the  Louvre  ?  "  in- 
quired Catherine. 

"  Yes,  of  the  previous  evening,  I  think." 

And  De  Mouy  drew  from  his  pocket  a  renunciation  in 
favor  of  the  Duke  d'Alenc.on,  written  and  signed  in  Henry's 
hand,  and  bearing  the  date  assigned  to  it. 

"  Ma  foil  yes,"  said  Charles,  te  and  all  is  in  due  form." 

"And  what  did  Henry  demand  in  return  for  this  renun- 
ciation ?" 

"  Nothing,  madame  ;  the  friendship  of  the  King  Charles, 
he  said  to  us, would  amply  repay  him  for  the  loss  of  a  crown." 

Catherine  bit  her  lips  in  anger,  and  wrung  her  beautiful 
hands. 

"  This  is  all  as  complete  as  possible,  De  Mony,"  added 
the  king. 

"  Then,"  asked  the  queen-mother,  "  if  all  was  settled 
between  you  and  the  King  of  Navarre,  for  what  purpose 
did  you  seek  an  interview  with  him  this  evening  ?  " 

"I  madame!  with  the  King  of  Navarre?"  said  De 
Mouy.  "  He  who  arrested  me  will  bear  testimony  that  I 
was  alone.  Will  your  majesty  call  him  ?" 

"  M.  de  Nancey,"  said  the  king,  aud  the  captain  of  the 
guards  entered. 

"  M.  de  Nancey,"  said  Catherine,  quickly,  "  was  M.  de 
Mouy  quite  alone  at  the  hostelry  of  the  Belle  Etoile  ?  " 


394  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  In  the  chamber,  yes,  madame  :  in  the  hostelry,  no." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Catherine,  "  who  was  his  companion  ?  " 

"I  know  not  if  he  were  the  companion  of  M.  de  Mouy, 
madame  ;  but  I  know  he  escaped  by  a  back  door,  after 
having  prostrated  two  of  my  guards." 

"  And  you  recognized  this  gentleman,  no  doubt." 

"  I  did  not,  but  the  guards  did." 

"  And  who  was  he  ?  "  inquired  Charles  IX. 

"M.  the  Count  Annibal  de  Coconnas." 

"  Annibal  de  Coconnas  ! "  repeated  the  king,  gloomy 
and  reflective.  "  He  who  made  so  terrble  a  slaughter  of 
the  Huguenots  during  the  St.  Bartholomew  ?" 

"  M.  de  Coconnas,  gentleman  of  the  Duke  d'Alen^on," 
replied  De  Nancey. 

"  Good  !  good  !  "  said  Charles.  "  You  may  withdraw, 
M.  de  Nancey  •  and  another  time,  remember  one  thing." 

"What  is  that,  sire  ?" 

"  That  you  are  in  my  service,  and  will  take  your  orders 
from  no  one  but  myself." 

M.  de  Nancey  retired  backwards,  bowing  most  respect- 
fully. De  Mouy  smiled  ironically  at  Catherine. 

There  was  a  brief  silence.  The  queen  pulled  the  tassels 
of  her  cordeliere  ;  Charles  caressed  his  dog. 

"  But  what  was  your  intention,  sir  ?  "  continued  Charles. 
"  Were  you  acting  violently  ?  " 

"  Against  whom,  sire  ?  " 

"  Why,  against  Henry,  or  Fra^ois,  or  myself  ?  " 

"Sire,  we  had  the  renunciation  of  your  brother-in-law, 
the  consent  of  your  brother,  and,  as  I  had  the  honor  to 
tell  you,  we  were  on  the  point  of  soliciting  your  majesty's 
authority,  when  there  happened  this  unfortunate  affair  of 
M.  de  Maurevel's." 

"  Well,  mother,  I  see  no  objection  to  all  this.  You 
were  perfectly  right,  M.  de  Mouy,  in  requiring  a  king. 
Yes,  Navarre  may  be,  and  ought  to  be,  a  separate  king- 
dom. Moreover,  this  kingdom  seems  made  expressly  to 
endow  my  brother  D'Alen9on,  who  has  always  had  so  great 
a  desire  for  a  crown,  that  when  we  wear  our  own,  he  can- 
not withdraw  his  gaze  therefrom.  The  only  thing  which 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

opposed  this  coronation  was  Harry's  rights  ;  but  since 
Harry  voluntarily  abdicates " 

"  Voluntarily,  sire  ?" 

"  It  appears  to  be  the  will  of  God  !  M.  de  Mouy,  you 
are  free  to  return  to  your  brethren,  whom  I  have  chas- 
tised— somewhat  rudely,  perchance  ;  but  that  is  between 
God  and  myself  ;  and  tell  them,  that  since  they  desire  to 
have  my  brother,  the  Duke  d'Aleriqon,  for  King  of  Na- 
varre, the  King  of  France  accedes  to  their  desires.  From 
this  moment,  Navarre  is  a  kingdom,  and  its  sovereign's 
name  'is  Francois.  I  ask  but  eight  days  for  my  brother  to 
be  ready  to  leave  Paris  with  the  Sclat  and  pomp  which 
appertain  to  a  king.  Go,  M.  de  Mony — go.  M.  de  Nan- 
eey,  allow  M.  de  Mouy  to  retire.  He  is  free." 

"  Sire,"  said  De  Mouy,  advancing  a  step,  "  will  your 
majesty  allow  me " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Charles. 

And  he  extended  his  hand  to  the  young  Huguenot. 

De  Mouy  went  on  one  knee,  and  respectfully  kissed  the 
king's  hand. 

"  Apropos,"  said  Charles,  as  De  Mouy  was  about  to  rise, 
"  have  you  not  demanded  from  me  justice  on  that  ruffian, 
De  Maurevel  ?  " 

"I  have,  sire." 

"  I  know  not  where  he  is,  that  I  might  render  it  to  you, 
for  he  is  in  hiding  ;  but  if  you  meet  him,  take  justice  into 
your  own  hands.  I  authorize  you  to  do  so,  and  with  all 
my  heart." 

"  Oh,  sire  !  exclaimed  De  Mouy,  "  this  is  all  I  could 
desire.  I  know  not  where  he  is ;  but  your  majesty  may 
rest  assured  I  will  find  him." 

De  Mouy  respectfully  saluted  the  king  and  Catherine, 
and  then  retired  uninterrupted.  He  made  all  haste  to  the 
hostelry  of  the  Belle  Etoile,  where  he  found  his  horse,  by 
whose  aid,  three  hours  after  he  had  quitted  Paris,  the 
young  man  breathed  in  safety  behind  the  walls  of  Mantes. 

Catherine,  bursting  with  rage,  regained  her  apartment, 
whence  she  passed  into  that  of  Marguerite,  where  she  found 
Henry  in  his  dressing  gown,  as  if  just  going  to  bed. 


396  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Satan  !  "  she  muttered,  "  aid  a  poor  queen,  for  whom 
God  will  do  nothing  more  ! " 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

TWO   HEADS   FOE   OXE    CROWN". 

"KEQUEST  M.  d'AlenQon  to  come  to  me/'  said  Charles, 
as  his  mother  left  him. 

M.  de  Nancey  hastened  to  M.  d'Alen9on's  apartments, 
and  delivered  the  king's  message.  The  duke  started  when 
he  heard  it.  He  always  trembled  in  Charles's  presence, 
and  the  more  so  when  he  had  reason  to  be  afraid.  Still, 
he  went  to  his  brother  with  all  speed. 

Charles  was  standing  up,  and  whistling  a  hunting  air. 

As  he  entered,  the  Duke  d'AlenQon  canght  from  the 
glassy  eye  of  Charles  one  of  those  looks  full  of  hatred, 
which  he  so  well  understood. 

"  Your  majesty  has  asked  for  me,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
here,  sire.  What  is  your  majesty's  desire  ?  " 

"I  desire  to  tell  you,  brother,  that,  in  order  to  recom- 
pense you  for  the  great  friendship  you  bear  me,  I  have 
resolved  to  do  for  you  to-day  the  thing  you  most  desire  in 
all  the  world." 

"  For  me  ?  " 

"Yes,  for  you.  Ask  yourself  what  that  thing  is  of 
which  you  most  frequently  dream,  without  daring  to  ask 
for,  and  that  thing  I  will  give  you." 

"  Sire,"  said  Fran9ois,  "  I  swear  to  you,  that  there  is 
nothing  I  more  desire  than  the  continuance  of  the  king's 
good  health." 

"  Then  you  will  be  deeply  gratified  to  know,  D'Alen- 
9on,  that  the  indisposition  I  experienced  at  the  time  when 
the  Poles  arrived  has  quite  passed  by.  I  have  escaped, 
thanks  to  Harry,  a  furious  wild  boar,  who  would  -have 
ripped  me  up,  and  I  am  so  well  as  not  to  envy  the  healthiest 
man  in  my  dominions  :  so  that,  without  being  an  unkind 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  397 

brother,  you  may  wish  for  something  else  besides  the  con- 
tinuation of  my  health,  which  is  perfectly  restored." 

"  I  desire  nothing  else,  sire/' 

"Yes,  yes,  Fran 9ois/' continued  Charles,  impatiently, 
s '  you  desire  the  crown  of  Navarre,  and  have  had  an  un- 
derstanding to  that  effect  with  Harry  and  De  Mouy  :  the 
first,  that  he  would  abdicate,  and  the  second,  that  he 
might  offer  it  to  you.  Well,  Harry  has  renounced,  De 
Mouy  has  mentioned  your  wishes  to  me,  and  the  crown 
you  are  ambitious  to " 

"Stop!  "  said  D'Alen9on,  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  Well,  mort  diable  !  it  is  yours." 

D'Alenqon  turned  ghastly  pale,  and  then  his  face  was 
suffused.  The  favor  which  the  king  granted  him  at  this 
moment  threw  him  into  utter  despair. 

"  But,  sire/'  he  replied,  palpitating  with  emotion,  and 
in  vain  trying  to  recover  his  self-possession,  "I  have 
never  desired,  and  certainly  never  sought  for  such  a 
thing." 

"  That  is  possible,"  said  the  king,  "  for  you  are  very  dis- 
creet, brother  ;  but  it  has  been  desired — sought  for  you." 

"  Sire,  I  swear  to  you  that  I  never " 

"  Do  not  swear." 

"  But,  sire,  do  you,  then,  exile  me  ?  " 

"  Do  you  call  this  exile,  Fra^ois  ?  Peste !  you  are 
hard  to  please.  What  better  thing  could  you  hope  for  ?" 

D'Alen9on  bit  his  lips  in  despair. 

"  Ma,  foi  !  "  continued  Charles,  affecting  a  kind  demean- 
or, "  I  did  not  think  you  were  so  popular,  Fra^ois,  and 
particularly  with  the  Huguenots.  Why,  they  really  peti- 
tion for  you  ;  and  what  better  could  I  desire  them  to  have 
than  a  person  devoted  to  me  ;  a  brother  whom  I  love,  and 
who  is  incapable  of  betraying  me,  at  the  head  of  a  party 
who  for  thirty  years  has  been  in  arms  against  us.  This 
must  calm  everything,  as  if  by  enchantment,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  fact  that  we  shall  be  all  kings  in  the  family. 
There  will  only  be  poor  Harry,  who  will  remain  my  friend, 
and  nothing  more.  But  he  is  not  ambitious,  and  this 
title,  which  no  one  else  covets,  he  claims." 


398  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Oh,  sire,  you  mistake;  I  covet  that  title — a  title  to 
which  no  one  has  such  right  as  I  have.  Henry  is  only 
your  brother  by  marriage  ;  I  am  your  brother  by  blood 
and  in  heart,  and  I  entreat  you,  sire,  keep  me  near  you." 

"No,  no,  Frangois,"  replied  Charles,  "it  would  be 
wrong." 

"  How,  sire  ?  " 

"  For  a  thousand  reasons." 

"  But,  sire,  have  you  a  more  faithful  companion  than  I 
am  ?  From  my  childhood  I  have  never  quitted  your 
majesty." 

"  I  know  it  well — I  know  it  well ;  and  sometimes  I  have 
wished  you  further  off." 

"  What  means  your  majesty  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing — nothing  ;  I  know — I  know.  Ah  I  what 
glorious  hunting  you  will  have  there,  Frangois  ;  I  shall 
envy  you  !  Do  you  know  they  chase  the  bear  in  the 
mountains  there,  as  we  do  the  boar  here.  You'll  send 
us  such  splendid  skins  ;  you  know  they  hunt  there  with 
the  poniard — wait  for  the  animal,  excite  and  irritate  him  : 
he  goes  towards  the  hunter,  and  four  paces  off  he  rises 
on  his  hind  legs  ;  then  they  plunge  the  steel  into  his  heart, 
as  Henry  did  the  wild  boar  at  our  last  hunt.  You  know 
it  is  dangerous  work  ;  but  you  are  brave,  Frangois  ;  and 
the  danger  would  be  real  pleasure  to  you." 

"  Ah  !  your  majesty  increases  my  trouble,  for  I  shall 
no  more  hunt  with  you." 

"  Corboeuf !  so  much  the  better,"  said  the  king,  "  it 
does  not  suit  either  of  us  to  hunt  together ' 

"  What  means  your  majesty  ?  " 

"  To  hunt  with  me  causes  you  such  pleasure,  and  creates 
in  you  so  much  emotion,  that  you,  who  are  skill  personi- 
fied— you,  who  with  any  arquebuss  can  bring  down  a 
magpie  at  a  hundred  paces — with  a  weapon  of  which  you 
are  such  a  perfect  master,  failed  at  twenty  paces  to  hit  a 
wild  boar,  and  broke  the  leg  of  my  best  horse !  Mort 
diable  !  Frangois, that  makes  one  reflect,  you  must  know  ! " 

"  Oh,  sire,  think  of  my  emotion,"  said  D'Alengon,  livid 
with  agitation. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  399 

"  Yes,"  replied  Charles  ;  "  I  guess  what  the  emotion 
might  be,  and  so  I  say,  Fra^ois,  it  is  best  for  us  to  hunt 
at  a  distance  from  each  other,  for  fear  of  such  emotions. 
You  might,  you  know,  in  another  emotion,  kill  the  horse- 
man instead  of  the  horse — the  king  instead  of  the  animal ! 
When  Montgomery  killed  our  father  Henry  II.,  by  acci- 
dent— emotion,  perhaps — the  blow  placed  our  brother 
FranQois  II.  on  the  throne,  and  sent  our  father  Henry  to 
Saint  Denys ;  a  little  in  this  way  can  do  so  much." 

The  duke  felt  the  perspiration  pour  down  his  brow  at 
this  unexpected  attack.  The  king  had  surmised  al1,  and 
veiling  his  anger  under  a  jesting  tone,  was  perhaps  more 
terrible  than  if  he  had  outpoured  his  lava  of  hate  in  its 
fullest  wrath ;  his  revenge  was  proportioned  to  his  rpncor. 
In  proportion  as  the  one  was  sharpened,  the  other  in- 
creased ;  and,  for  the  first  time,  D'Alen9on  felt  remorse, 
or  rather  regret,  for  having  meditated  a  crime  that  had 
not  succeeded.  He  had  sustained  the  struggle  as  long  as 
he  could,  but  at  this  last  blow  he  bowed  his  head. 

Charles  fixed  on  him  his  vulture  gaze,  and  watched 
closely  every  feeling  that  displayed  itself  in  the  young 
duke's  countenance,  as  if  he  perused  an  open  book. 
"  Brother,"  said  the  king,  "  we  have  declared  our  resolu- 
tion ;  that  resolution  is  immutable.  You  will  go." 

D'Alen9on  started  ;  but  Charles  did  not  appear  to  ob- 
serve it,  and  continued  :  "  I  wish  that  Navarre  should  be 
proud  of  having  at  its  head  a  brother  of  the  King  of 
France.  Gold,  power,  honor — you  will  have  all  that  be- 
longs to  your  birth,  as  your  brother  Henry  had  ;  and,  like 
him,"  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "you  will  bless  me  when 
afar  off — thank,  Heaven,  blessings  know  no  distance  !  " 

«  Sire » 

"  Accept,  or  rather  resign  yourself.  Once  a  king,  we 
shall  find  for  you  a  wife  worthy  of  a  son  of  France,  who 
may— who  knows  ? — bring  you  another  throne." 

"  But,"  observed  the  Duke  d'Alen9on,  "  your  majesty 
forgets  your  good  friend  Henry." 

"  Henry  ! — why,  I  told  yon  he  does  not  desire  the  throne 
of  Navarre  ;  he  has  abandoned  it.  Henry  is  a  jovial  fel- 


400  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOES. 

low,  and  not  a  pale-face,  like  you  ;  he  likes  to  amuse  him- 
self, and  laugh  at  his  ease,  and  not  weary  himself,  as  we 
are  compelled  to  do,  who  wear  crowns  upon  our  heads." 

"  Your  majesty  then  desires  me  to  occupy  myself " 

"  By  no  means.  Do  not  in  any  way  disturb  yourself,  I 
will  arrange  everything  myself.  Say  not  a  word  to  any 
one,  and  I  will  take  upon  myself  to  give  publicity  to  every- 
thing. Pran9ois,  good  day." 

There  was  no  reply.  The  duke  bowed  and  left  the  apart- 
ment, with  rage  devouring  his  heart. 

He  was  most  desirous  to  find  Henry,  and  talk  with  him 
of  all  that  had  passed  ;  but  he  could  only  find  Catherine, 
for  Henry  avoided,  whilst  his  brother  sought  him. 

The  duke,  seeing  Catherine,  endeavored  to  swallow  his 
griefs  and  tried  to  smile. 

"Well,  madame,"  he  said,  "do  you  know  the  gre  .t 
news  ?  " 

"  I  know  that  there  is  an  idea  of  making  a  king  of  you, 
sir." 

"  It  is  a  great  kindness  on  the  part  of  my  brother,  ma- 
dame ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  a  portion  of  my 
gratitude  is  due  to  you  ;  although,  I  confess,  that  at 
bottom  it  gives  me  pain  thus  to  despoil  the  King  of 
Navarre." 

"You  are  very  fond  of  Harry,  then,  my  son,  it  appears." 

"  Why,  yes,  for  some  time  we  have  been  closely  allied." 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  he  loves  you  as  much  as  you  love 
him?" 

"I  hope  so,  madame." 

"  Are  there  brothers,  then,  amongst  kings  ?  "  she  asked, 
with  a  singular  smile. 

"  Oh,  we  were  neither  of  us  kings  when  our  alliance 
began." 

"  Yes  ;  but  things  are  changed  now  :  who  can  say  that 
you  will  not  both  be  kings  ?  " 

Catherine  saw,  by  the  start  and  sudden  color  of  the 
duke,  that  the  shaft  had  hit  the  mark. 

"  He  ?    Harry,  king  ?  and  of  what  kingdom  ?" 

"The  most  glorious  in  Christendom,  my  son." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8.  401 

me    jjim .  anl   D'Alengon,    growing  very  pale,    "  what 

''here,  f 
have  t^u^ood  mother  should  say  to  a  son — what  you 

"I  ?"jght  of  more  than  once,  Frangois." 

dame,  said  the  duke,  "  I  have  thought  of  nothing,  ma- 
"  Jl  swear  to  you  !  " 

you  believe  you  ;  for  your  friend,  your  brother  Henry,  as 

rl  call  him,   is,   under  his  apparent  frankness,  a  very 

j,;ver  and  wily  person,  who  keeps  his  secrets  better  than 
yc-a  do  yours,  Frangois.  For  instance,  did  he  ever  tell  you 
that  De  Mouy  was  his  man  of  business  ?  " 

And  Catherine  looked  at  Franpois  as  though  she  would 
read  his  very  heart ;  but  dissimulation  was  Franpois'  forte, 
and  he  bore  her  gaze  unshrinkingly. 

"  De  Mouy  ! "  said  he,  with  surprise,  and  as  if  he  ut- 
tered the  name  for  the  first  time. 

"  Yes,  the  Huguenot  De  Mouy  de  Saint-Phale  ;  he  who 
nearly  killed  De  Man  revel,  and  who  is  intriguing  and  rais- 
ing an  army  to  support  your  brother  Henry  against  your 
family." 

Catherine,  unaware  that  Frangois  knew  as  much  on  this 
riatter  as  herself,  rose  at  these  words,  and  would  have  gone 
out  majestically,  but  Frangois  detained  her. 

"  Mother,"  he  said,  "  another  word,  if  you  please.  How 
3an  Henry,  with  his  feeble  resources,  carry  on  any  war  to 
disquiet  my  family  ?  " 

"  Child/'  Suid  the  queen,  smiling,  "  know  he  is  sup- 
ported by  more  than  thirty  thousand  men,  who,  the  day 
he  says  the  word,  willappearas  suddenly  as  if  they  sprang 
forth  from  the  ground  ;  and  these  thirty  thousand  men 
are  Huguenots,  remember  ;  in  other  words  the  bravest 
soldiers  in  the  world ;  and  then,  he  has  a  protector  you 
have  not  been  able,  or  have  not  chosen,  to  conciliate." 

"Who  is  that?" 

"  He  has  the  king— the  king,  who  loves  him,  pushes 
him  on ;  the  king,  who,  from  jealousy  against  your 
brother  of  Poland,  and  from  spite  against  you,  seeks  a 
successor  out  of  his  family." 

"  The  king  !     Do  yon  think  so,  mother  ?" 


402  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  a 

"  Do  you  not  see  how  he  takes  to  fe  to  anr 
Harry  ?  "  hims  jjarry 

"  Yes,  madame  ;  yes."  >B  *  him  ^ 

"  And  how  he  is  repaid  in  return  !  for  this  "Vs  uj^  a 
forgetting  how  his  brother-in-law  would  have  shoS 
Saint  Bartholomew's  day,  grovels  to  the  very  eartt,  my 
a  dog,  and  licks  the  hand  which  has  beaten  him."     bu.^ 

"  Yes,"  said  Fran9ois,  "  Henry  is  very  humble  will, 
brother  Charles  ;  and,  the  king  always  rallying  him 
his  ignorance,  he  has  began  to  study  hawking.  It  was 
only  yesterday  he  asked  me  if  I  had  not  some  books  on 
that  sport." 

"  Well,"  said  Catherine,  "  well,  and  what  reply  did  you 
make  him  ?  " 

"That  I  would  look  in  my  library." 

"  Good,  good  ! "  answered  Catherine  ;  "  he  must  have 
that  book.  I  will  give  him  ono  in  your  name.  Will  you, 
D'Alen9ou,  obey  me  blindly  in  all  I  desire  you  to  do  with 
regard  to  Henry,  who  lovos  you  not,  whatever  you  may 
think." 

D'Alenqon  smiled,  and  replied,  "  I  will,  mother." 

"  Well,  then,  on  the  morning  of  the  next  hunt  coi  sffc 
here  and  seek  for  the  book ;  I  will  give  it  you,  and  you 
shall  carry  it  to  the  detested  Henry." 

"And ?" 

"Leave  the  rest  to  Providence  or  chance." 

Fran 9013  bowed  in  acquiescence,  and  left  his  mother's 
chamber. 

Meantime,  Marguerite  received  through  La  Mole  a 
letter  from  De  Mouy  addressed  to  the  King  of  Navarre. 
As  in  politics  the  two  illustrious  allies  had  no  secrets,  she 
opened  the  missive,  and  read  it  ;  and  then,  going  quickly 
and  silently  along  the  secret  passage,  went  into  the  King 
of  Navarre's  antechamber,  no  longer  guarded,  since  Or- 
thon's  disappearance.  This  circumstance  had  greatly 
disquieted  Henry,  who  felt  assured  the  poor  boy  had  fallen 
a  victim  to  some  machination  of  the  queen-mother. 

Any  other  than  Henry  would  have  kept  silence  ;  but 
Henry  calculated  cleverly,  and  saw  his  silence  would  betray 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  408 

him  ;  and  thus  he  sought  and  inquired  for  Orthon  every- 
where, even  in  the  presence  of  the  king  and  the  queen- 
mother,  and  of  every  one,  down  to  the  sentinel  at  the 
wicket  of  the  Louvre  ;  but  every  inquiry  was  in  vain. 

The  antechamber  was  thus  empty  ;  Henry  declaring  he 
would  not  replace  him  until  he  knew  for  certain  that  he 
had  disappeared  forever.  Henry  turned  round  as  the 
queen  entered. 

"  Yon,  madame  !  "  he  cried. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Marguerite  ; <s  read  quickly  ! "  and  she 
handed  the  open  letter  to  him.  It  contained  these  lines  : 

"  SIRE, — The  moment  has  arrived  for  putting  our  plan 
of  flight  in  execution. 

"  In  five  or  six  days  there  will  be  hawking  on  the  banks 
of  the  Seine,  from  Saint-Grermams  to  Maisons  all  along 
the  forest. 

"  Go  to  this  meeting,  although  it  is  only  a  hawking 
party  ;  put  a  good  coat  of  mail  under  your  doublet,  your 
best  sword  by  your  side,  and  ride  the  fleetest  horse  in  your 
stable. 

"  About  noon,  when  the  sport  is  at  its  height,  and  the 
king  is  galloping  after  his  falcon,  get  away  alone,  if  you 
come  alone  ;  with  the  queen,  if  her  majesty  will  follow  you. 

"Fifty  of  our  party  will  be  .concealed  in  the  pavilion  of 
Fran9ois  the  First,  of  which  we  have  the  key ;  no  one 
will  know  that  they  are  there,  for  they  will  come  at  night, 
and  the  shutters  will  be  closed. 

"  You  will  pass  by  the  Allee  des  Violettes,  at  the  end  of 
which  I  shall  be  on  the  watch  ;  at  the  right  of  this  allee 
will  be  Messieurs  de  la  Mole  and  Coconnas,  with  two 
horses,  intended  to  replace  yours  if  they  should  be  fatigued. 

"Adieu,  sire  !  be  ready,  as  we  shall  be." 

"  Now  then,  sire,"  said  Marguerite,  "  be  a  hero  ;  it  is 
not  difficult.  You  have  but  to  follow  the  route  indicated, 
and  create  for  me  a  glorious  throne,"  said  the  daughter  of 
Henry  II. 

An  imperceptible  smile  rose  to  the  thin  lips  of  the 

DUMAS — "VOL.  III. — 18 


404:  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

BSarnais,  as  he  kissed  Marguerite's  lips,  and  went  out  to 
explore  the  passage,  whistling  the  burden  of  an  old  song  : 

"  Gil  qui  mieux  battit  la  muraille 
N'entra  point  dedans  le  chasteau." 

The  precaution  was  good,  for  as  he  opened  his  bedchamber 
door  the  Duke  d'Alenc.on  opened  that  of  his  antechamber, 
Henry  motioned  to  Marguerite  with  his  hand,  and  then 
said  aloud,  "  Ah,  is  it  you,  brother  ?  "Welcome  ! " 

The  queen  understood  her  husband's  meaning,  and 
went  quickly  into  a  dressing-closet,  in  front  of  the  door 
of  which  was  a  thick  tapestry. 

D'AlenQon  entered  with  a  timorous  step,  and  looking 
around  him,  "Are  we  alone,  brother  ?"  he  asked,  in  an 
undertone. 

"  Quite.  But  what  ails  you  ? — you  seem  greatly  dis- 
turbed." 

"  We  are  discovered,  Henry  ?" 

"  How  discovered  ?  " 

"De  Mouy  has  been  arrested  ! " 

"I  know  it." 

"  Well,  De  Mouy  has  told  the  king  all ! " 

"  All  what  ?  " 

"  He  said  I  was  ambitious  of  the  throne  of  Navarre, 
and  had  conspired  to  obtain  it." 

"  The  dunderhead  ! "  said  Henry.  "  So  that  yon  are 
compromised,  my  dear  brother !  How  is  it,  then,  that 
you  are  not  under  arrest  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell ;  the  king  jested  with  me,  and  offered 
me  the  throne  of  Navarre,  but  I  said  nothing." 

"And  you  did  well,  ventre-saint-gris  !"  said  the  Bear- 
nais.  "  Stand  firm,  for  our  lives  depend  on  that." 

"  Yes,"  said  Fra^ois,  "  our  position  is  difficult,  and  that 
is  why  I  came  to  ask  your  advice,  my  brother.  Ought  I 
to  flee  or  remain  ?  " 

"  You  have  seen  the  king,  and  he  has  spoken  to  you  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  you  must  have  ascertained  his  thoughts  j  act 
from  your  own  inspiration.'* 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  405 

"I  would  rather  remain,"  said  Francois. 

Master  of  himself  as  he  was,  yet  Henry  allowed  a  move- 
ment of  joy  to  escape  him,  and  Frangois  observed  it. 

"  Remain,  then,"  said  Henry. 

"And  you?" 

"  Why,  if  you  remain,  I  have  no  motive  for  going ;  I 
should  go  if  you  went,  but  stay  if  you  stay." 

"  So,  then,"  said  D'Alenqon,  "there  is  an  end  of  all  our 
plans,  and  you  give  way  at  the  first  repulse." 

"Thanks  to  my  contented  disposition," replied  Henry, 
"  I  am  happy  anywhere  and  everywhere." 

"Well,  then,"  observed  D'Alenqon,  "there's  no  more 
to  be  said  ;  only,  if  you  change  your  mind,  let  me  know." 

"  CorUeu  !  I  shall  be  sure  to  do  that,"  replied  Henry. 
"  Have  we  not  agreed  to  have  no  secrets  for  one  another  ?  " 

D'Alenqon  said  no  more,  and  withdrew  full  of  thought, 
for  he  believed  he  had  seen  the  tapestry  move  at  a  certain 
moment  ;  and,  indeed,  scarcely  was  D'Alenqon  gone  than 
Marguerite  reappeared. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  visit  ?  "  inquired  Henry. 

"  That  there  is  something  new  and  important ;  what  it 
is  I  will  learn." 

"  In  the  meanwhile ?  " 

"In  the  meanwhile,  fail  not  to  come  to  my  apartments 
to-morrow  evening." 

"  I  will  not  fail,  be  assured,  madame,"  was  the  reply  of 
Henry,  kissing  his  wife's  hand  very  gallantly. 

With  the  same  precaution  she  had  used  in  coming,  Mar- 
guerite returned  to  her  own  apartments. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE   BOOK   OF  VENEKIE. 

FIVE  days  had  elapsed  since  the  events  we  have  related. 
The  Louvre  clock  had  just  struck  four,  when  D'Alenc.on, 
who,  with  all  the  rest  of  the  court,  had  risen  early  to  pre- 
pare for  the  hunt,  entered  his  mother's  apartment. 


406  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  queen  was  not  in  her  chamber,  but  she  had  left 
orders  that  if  her  sou  came  he  was  to  wait.  At  the  end 
of  a  few  minutes  she  came  out  of  a  cabinet  where  she 
carried  on  her  chemical  studies,  and  into  which  no  one 
ever  entered.  As  she  opened  the  door,  a  strong  odor  of 
some  acrid  perfume  pervaded  the  room,  and  looking 
through  the  door  of  the  cabinet,  he  perceived  a  thick 
white  vapor,  like  that  of  some  aromatic  substance,  float- 
ing in  the  air. 

"  Yes,"  said  Catherine,  "  I  burnt  some  old  parchments, 
and  their  smell  was  so  offensive  that  I  cast  some  jumper 
into  the  brazier."  D'Alen9on  bowed. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  queen,  concealing  beneath  the 
sleeves  of  her  robe-de-chambre  her  hand  stained  with  large 
reddish  spots,  "anything  new?" 

"  Nothing." 

"  Have  you  seen  Henry  ?** 

"  Yes." 

"  Will  he  go  ?  " 

"  He  refuses  positively.** 

"  The  knave  !  " 

"  What  say  you,  madame  ?  * 

"That  he  will  go." 

"  You  think  so  ?  " 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"Then  he  escapes  us  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Catherine. 

"  And  you  let  him  depart  ?** 

"  I  not  only  suffer  him,  but,  I  tell  you,  it  is  necessary 
he  should  leave  the  court." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  Listen  :  a  skilful  physician,  the  same  who  gave  me  the 
book  of  venerie  you  are  about  to  present  to  the  King  of 
Navarre,  has  told  me  that  he  is  on  the  point  of  being  at- 
tacked with  consumption — an  incurable  disease ;  so  that 
if  he  be  doomed  to  die,  it  were  better  that  he  should  die 
away  from  us  than  at  the  court." 

""  That  would  be  too  painful  for  us." 

"  Especially  for  Charles  ;  whereas,  if  he  die,  after  having 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  407 

betrayed  him,  he  will  look  upon  his  death  as  a  punishment 
from  heaven." 

"  You  are  right :  it  were  better  he  should  depart,  But 
are  yon  sure  he  will  go  ?  " 

"  All  my  measures  are  taken.  The  place  of  rendezvous 
is  in  the  forest  of  St.  Germain's  ;  fifty  Huguenots  are  to 
escort  him  to  Fontainebleau,  where  five  hundred  others 
await  him." 

"  And  does  Margot  accompany  him  ?"  asked  D'Alen9on. 

"  Yes,  but  upon  Henry's  death  she  returns  to  court." 

"  Are  you  sure  that  Henry  will  die  ?  " 

"  The  physician  who  gave  me  this  book  assured  me  of  it." 

"  And  where  is  this  book  ?  " 

Catherine  entered  her  cabinet,  and  returned  instantly 
with  the  book  in  her  hand. 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  she. 

IVAlengon  looked  at  it,  not  without  a  certain  feeling  of 
terror. 

"  What  is  this  book  ?  "  asked  he,  shuddering. 

"  I  have  already  told  you.  It  is  a  treatise  on  the  art  of 
rearing  and  training  falcons,  goshawks,  and  ger-falcons, 
written  for  the  Italian  prince,  Castruccio  Castracani,  of 
Lucca." 

"What  am  I  to  do  with  it  ?" 

"  Give  it  to  Henry,  who  has  asked  you  for  a  book  of  the 
kind.  As  he  is  going  to  hawk  this  morning  with  the  king, 
he  will  not  fail  to  read  it ;  but  be  sure  to  give  it  to  him." 

"  Oh,  I  dare  not ! "  said  D'Alengon,  shuddering. 

"Why  not  ?"  replied  the  queen  ;  "  it  is  a  book  like  any 
other,  except  it  has  lain  by  so  long  that  the  leaves  stick 
together.     Do  not  attempt  to  read  it,  for  it  can  only  be 
read  by  wetting  the  finger,  and  turning  over  each  leaf,  • 
which  occasions  a  great  loss  of  time." 

"  So  that  it  will  only  be  read  by  a  man  who  is  anxious 
to  learn  the  art  of  hawking  ?  " 

"  Exactly  so,  my  son — you  understand  ?  " 

"Oh,"  said  D'Alegnon,  "I  hear  Henry  in  the  court; 
give  it  to  me,  and  I  will  avail  myself  of  his  absence  to 
place  it  in  his  room." 


408  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"I  had  rather  you  gave  it  to  him ;  it  is  more  certain.* 

"I  have  already  told  you  I  dare  not/' 

"At  least  place  it  where  it  can  be  easily  seen." 

"  I  will  place  it  where  he  must  see  it.  Will  it  be  better 
to  open  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  open  it." 

"  Give  it  me,  then." 

D'Alengon  took  with  a  trembling  hand  the  book  Cath- 
erine held  out  to  him. 

"  Take  it,"  said  she.  "  There  is  no  danger;  besides, 
yon  have  your  gloves  on. " 

D'Alengon  wrapped  the  book  in  his  mantle,  as  if  still 
fearful. 

"  Make  haste,"  continued  the  queen  ;  "  I  expect  Henry 
will  enter  every  moment." 

"  Madame,  I  go." 

And  the  duke  left  the  apartment,  trembling  with  emo- 
tion. 

We  have  often  introduced  our  readers  into  the  apart- 
ments of  the  King  of  Navarre,  and  have  made  them  wit- 
nesses of  the  events  that  have  passed  there,  but  never  did 
the  walls  of  the  room  see  a  face  so  pale  as  the  Duke 
D'Alengon's,  when  he  entered  the  apartment,  the  book  in 
his  hand. 

On  the  wall  hung  Henry's  sword.  Some  links  of  mail 
were  scattered  on  the  floor,  a  well-filled  purse  and  a  poniard 
lay  on  the  table,  and  the  light  ashes  in  the  grate  showed 
D'AlenQon  that  Henry  had  put  on  a  shirt  of  mail,  collected 
what  money  he  could,  and  burnt  all  papers  that  might  com- 
promise him. 

"My  mother  was  right,"  thought  D'Alengon.  "He 
would  betray  me." 

Doubtless,  this  conviction  gave  him  strength  ;  for  after 
having  sounded  the  walls  and  lifted  the  tapestry,  he  took 
the  book  from  under  his  cloak,  placed  it  on  the  table,  then, 
with  a  hesitation  that  betrayed  his  fears,  opened  the  book 
at  an  engraviug.  The  instant  he  had  done  so,  he  drew  off 
his  glove  and  cast  it  into  the  fire  ;  the  leather  crackled, 
burned,  and  was  soon  reduced  to  ashes. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  409 

D'Alenc,on  waited  until  he  had  seen  it  consumed,  and 
then  hastily  returned  to  his  own  apartment. 

As  he  entered,  he  heard  steps  on  the  winding  stair,  and 
not  doubting  but,  that  it  was  Henry,  he  closed  his  door. 

Then  he  looked  out  of  his  window  into  the  court  below. 
Henry  was  not  there,  and  this  strengthened  Frau9ois' 
belief  that  it  was  he  whom  he  had  just  heard. 

The  duke  sat  down,  and  took  up  a  book  :  it  was  the  His- 
tory of  France,  a  work  dedicated  to  Charles  IX. 

But  the  duke  co-ild  not  fix  his  attention  on  it ;  it  seemed 
to  him  he  conld  sec  through  the  walls.  His  eyes  appeared 
to  plunge  into  the  chamber  of  Henry,  spite  of  the  obsta- 
cles that  separated  them.  In  order  to  drive  away  the  ter- 
rible object  before  his  mind's  eye,  the  duke  vainly  looked 
at  his  arms,  his  ornaments,  his  books  ;  every  detail  of  the 
engraving  that  he  had  seen  but  for  a  moment  was  before 
him  still :  it  was  a  gentleman  on  horseback,  recalling  his 
falcon,  in  a  flat  landscape. 

Then  it  was  not  the  book  he  saw,  but  the  King  of  Xavarre 
reading  it,  and  wetting  his  thumb  in  order  to  turn  over 
the  pages.  At  this  sight,  fictitious  and  imaginary  as  it 
was,  D'AlenQon  staggered  against  a  table,  and  covered  his 
eyes  with  his  hands,  as  if  to  hide  the  horrible  vision. 

Suddenly  D'Alengon  saw  Henry  in  the  court ;  he  stopped 
a  few  moments  to  speak  to  the  men  who  were  loading  two 
mules,  ostensibly  with  his  provisions  for  the  chase,  but 
really  with  the  money  and  other  things  he  wished  to  take 
with  him  ;  then,  having  given  his  orders,  he  advanced  to- 
wards the  door. 

D'AlenQon  stood  motionless  ;  it  was  not  Henry,  then, 
he  had  heard  mount  the  stairs.  He  opened  his  door  and 
listened  ;  this  time  there  was  no  mistake — it  was  Henry  ; 
D'Alen9on  recognized  his  step,  even  to  the  peculiar  jingle 
of  his  spurs. 

Henry's  door  opened,  and  then  closed. 

"Bon! "  said  D'Alen9on  ;  "  he  has  passed  through  the 
first  apartment,  he  has  entered  his  bedchamber,  he  has 
Jooked  if  his  sword,  his  purse,  and  his  poniard  are  there  ; 
then  he  has  seen  the  book  open  on  the  table.  *  What  is 


410  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

this  book  ? '  he  asks  himself ;  '  where  has  it  come  from  ? — 
who  has  brought  it  ? '  Then,  seeing  the  engraving,  he  tries 
to  read  it,  and  turns  over  the  leaves." 

A  cold  damp  passed  over  Francois. 

"  Will  he  call  for  help  ?  "  said  he.  "  Is  the  poison  sud- 
den ?  No  1  for  my  mother  said  he  would  die  of  consump- 
tion." 

Ten  minutes  passed  in  these  horrible  reflections.  D'- 
Alen9on  could  support  it  no  longer ;  he  rose,  and  passed 
through  his  chamber,  which  was  already  filled  with  gentle- 
men. 

"Good  day,  gentlemen/' said  he,  "I  am  going  to  the 
king." 

And  to  distract  his  attention,  to  prepare  an  alibi,  per- 
haps, D'Alen9on  descended  to  his  brother's  apartments. 
Why,  he  knew  not — what  had  he  to  say  ?  Nothing !  it 
was  not  Charles  he  sought — it  was  Henry  he  fled  from. 

Fran9ois  traversed  successively  the  saloon  and  the  sleep- 
ing-room, without  meeting  any  one  ;  he  then  thought 
Charles  was  in  his  armory,  and  he  opened  the  door. 

Charles  was  seated  at  a  table  in  an  armchair  of  carved 
oak ;  his  back  was  turned  to  the  door  by  which  Fra^ois 
had  entered.  The  duke  approached  silently. 

Charles  was  reading. 

"  Pardieu  !  "  cried  the  king,  "  what  an  admirable  book  ! 
—I  did  not  think  there  was  such  a  work  in  France." 

D'Alei^on  listened. 

"  Devil  take  the  leaves  !"  said  Charles,  as,  wetting  his 
thumb,  he  turned  them.  "  It  seems  as  if  they  had  pur- 
posely stuck  the  leaves  together,  to  conceal  the  marvels 
they  contain." 

D'Alen9on  bounded  forward.  The  book  Charles  was 
reading  was  the  same  that  D'Alen9on  had  taken  into 
Henry's  room.  A  cry  burst  from  his  lips. 

"  Ah,  it  is  you,  D'Alen9on  1 "  said  the  king  ;  "  you  are 
just  in  time  to  see  the  most  admirable  work  on  venerie  in 
the  world." 

D'Alen9on's  first  idea  was  to  snatch  the  book  from  his 
brother,  but  an  infernal  thought  restrained  him. 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS. 

"Sire,"  asked  ho,  "how  did  this  book  come  into  your 
possession  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  went  into  Harry's  room  to  see  if  he  was  ready, 
and  found  this  treasure,  which  I  brought  down  with  me  to 
read." 

And  the  king  again  moistened  his  finger,  and  again 
turned  over  the  page. 

"  Sire,"  faltered  D'Alen9on,  whose  hair  stood  on  end, 
"  sire,  I  come  to  tell  you " 

"Let  me  finish  this  chapter,  Fran9ois,  and  then  tell  me 
what  you  please.  I  have  read,  or  rather  devoured,  fifty 
pages." 

"My  brother  has  tasted  the  poison  five-and-twenty 
times,"  thought  D'Alen9on  ;  "  he  is  a  dead  man  ! " 

Francois  wiped  the  cold  dew  from  his  brow,  and  waited 
in  silence,  as  the  king  bade  him,  until  he  had  finished  the 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE   HAWKING   PARTY. 

CHARLES  read  on  :  he  seemed,  indeed,  to  devour  the 
pages ;  and  each  page,  as  we  have  said,  was  gummed  to 
the  other. 

D'Alen9on  gazed  wildly  on  this  terrible  spectacle. 

"  Oh,"  murmured  he,  "  what  will  happen  now  ?  Shall 
I  go  into  exile  and  seek  a  visionary  throne,  whilst  Henry, 
on  the  first  intelligence  of  Charles's  illness,  will  return  to 
some  fortress  near  Paris,  whence  he  may  come  hither  in 
an  hour  or  two ;  so  that  before  D'Anjou  even  hears  of 
Charles's  death  the  whole  dynasty  will  be  changed." 

Instantly  his  plan  with  regard  to  Henry  altered.  It  was 
Charles  who  had  read  the  poisoned  book :  Henry  must 
stay.  He  was  less  to  be  dreaded  in  the  Bastille,  or  a 
prisoner  at  Vincennes,  than  free,  and  at  the  head  of  thirty 
thousand  men. 

The  duke  waited  until  Charles  finished  his  chapter,  and 


412  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

then,  "  Brother,"  said  he,  "  I  waited  because  yon  ordered 
me ;  but  I  have  something  of  the  greatest  importance  to 
say  to  you." 

"  Ah,  the  devil  take  "you  ! "  returned  Charles,  whose 
pale  cheeks  glowed  with  unusual  fire.  "If  you  come  and 
worry  me,  I'll  get  rid  of  you,  as  I  have  of  the  King  of 
Poland." 

"  It  is  not  on  that  subject  I  would  speak  to  you.  Your 
majesty  has  touched  me  in  my  most  sensitive  point,  that 
of  my  love  for  you  as  a  brother,  and  my  devotion  as  your 
subject ;  and  I  come  to  prove  to  you  I  am  no  traitor.*' 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Charles,  crossing  his  legs,  and  throw- 
ing himself  back  on  his  chair  ;  "  some  fresh  report — some 
new  nightmare." 

"  No,  sire  ;  a  certainty — a  plot,  of  which  I  know  all  the 
details." 

"  A  plot !  let  us  hear  this  wonderful  plot." 

"  Sire,"  said  Fra^ois,  "  whilst  your  majesty  hawks  in 
the  plain  of  Vesinet,  the  King  of  Navarre  will  fly  into  the 
forest  of  St.  Germain's,  where  a  troop  of  his  friends  await 
him,  and  will  escape  with  him." 

"I  expected  this  !  "  cried  Charles  ;  "a  fresh  calumny 
against  my  poor  Harry  !  When  will  you  leave  him 
alone?" 

"  Your  majesty  need  not  wait  long  to  know  whether 
what  I  say  be  true  or  false." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because  this  evening  he  will  be  gone." 

Charles  rose.  "  Listen,"  said  he  :  "I  will  once  more 
seem  to  believe  you  ;  but  mind,  it  is  for  the  last  time. 
Without  there  !  summon  the  King  of  Navarre." 

A  soldier  was  about  to  obey,wheu  Fran9ois  stopped  him. 

"That  is  a  bad  way  to  learn  the  truth,"  said  he. 
"  Henry  will  deny  it,  give  a  signal,  all  his  accomplices  will 
conceal  themselves,  and  my  mother  and  myself  will  be  ac- 
cused of  calumny." 

Charles  opened  the  window,  for  the  blood  was  rushing 
into  his  head.  Then,  turning  to  D'Alen9on,  "  What 
would  you  do  then  ?  "  asked  he. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  413 

"Sire,"  said  D'Alen9on,  "I  would  surround  the  wood 
with  three  detachments  of  light  horse,  who,  at  a  certain 
hour,  should  beat  the  forest,  and  drive  every  one  in  it  to 
the  Pavilion  of  Fra^ois  the  First,  which  I  would,  as  if 
casually,  have  appointed  as  the  place  for  dining  at.  Then, 
when  Henry  left  you,  I  would  follow  him  to  the  rendez- 
vous, and  capture  him  and  his  accomplices." 

" A  good  idea  enough  !"  returned  Charles.  "Call  the 
captain  of  my  guards." 

D'Alen9on  drew  from  his  doublet  a  silver  whistle,  fas- 
tened to  a  chain  of  gold,  and  whistled.  De  Nancey  ap- 
peared. Charles  gave  him  some  orders,  in  an  undertone. 
Meanwhile  Actaeon,  the  boar-hound,  had  dragged  a  book 
off  the  table  and  began  to  tear  it.  Charles  turned  round 
and  swore  a  terrible  oath.  The  book  was  the  precious 
Treatise  on  Venerie,  of  which  there  existed  but  three 
copies  in  the  world. 

The  chastisement  was  proportionate  to  the  offense. 
Charles  seized  the  whip  and  lashed  the  dog  soundly  : 
Actseon  yelled,  and  disappeared  under  a  table  covered  with 
a  large  green  cloth.  The  king  picked  up  the  book,  and 
saw  with  joy  that  but  one  leaf  was  wanting,  and  that  leaf, 
not  a  page  of  text,  but  an  engraving.  He  locked  it  up 
carefully  in  a  cupboard,  toD'Aler^on's  great  regret ;  who, 
now  that  it  had  fulfilled  its  fearful  task,  would  fain  have 
seen  it  out  of  Charles's  hands. 

Six  o'clock  struck,  and  the  king  descended.  He  first 
closed  the  door  of  the  armory,  locked  it,  and  put  his  key 
in  his  pocket,  D'AlenQon  earnestly  watching  each  move- 
ment ;  on  his  way  down-stairs  he  stopped,  and  passed  his 
hand  over  his  eye. 

"I  do  not  know  what  is  the  matter  with  me,"  observed 
he,  "  but  I  feel  very  weak." 

"Perhaps,"  faltered  D'Alen9on,  "there  is  a  storm  in 
the  air." 

"  A  storm  in  March  !  you  are  mad,"  said  Charles.  "  No, 
no  ;  I  feel  a  dizziness,  my  skin  is  dry,  I  am  over-fatigued  ; 
that's  all." 

The  fresh  air,  the  cries  of  the  huntsmen,  and  the  noise 


414  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

of  the  horses  and  hounds,  produced  their  ordinary  effect 
upon  him  ;  he  breathed  freely,  and  felt  exhilarant. 

His  first  care  was  to  look  for  Henry  and  Marguerite, 
who  seemed,  excellent  spouses,  as  if  they  could  not  quit 
one  another. 

On  perceiving  Charles,  Henry  spurred  his  horse,  and  in 
three  bounds  was  beside  him. 

"  Ah,  ah,  Harry  ! "  said  Charles,  "  you  are  mounted  as 
if  you  were  going  to  hunt  the  stag,  and  yet  you  know  we 
are  only  going  to  hawk." 

Then  without  awaiting  a  reply,  "  Forward,  gentlemen  !  " 
cried  he,  frowning ;  "  we  must  be  at  the  meet  by  nine." 

Catherine  was  watching  at  a  window,  and  her  pale  face 
only  appeared  :  her  figure  was  concealed  by  the  curtain. 

At  Charles's  order,  the  whole  cortege  passed  through  the 
gate  of  the  Louvre,  and  along  the  road  to  St.-Germains, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  people,  who  sainted  their 
young  king  as  he  rode  by  on  his  white  steed. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?"  asked  Marguerite  of  Henry. 

"  He  felicitated  me  on  the  stoutness  of  my  horse." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  I  fear  he  knows  something." 

"I  fear  so." 

"  Let  us  be  cautious." 

Henry's  face  was  lighted  up,  in  reply,  with  one  of  hie 
cordial  smiles,  as  if  to  say,  "  Be  easy,  ma  mie." 

As  for  Catherine,  when  she  had  seen  them  all  depart, 
she  let  fall  the  curtain  :  "  This  time,"  murmured  she,  "  I 
think  I  have  him." 

Then,  to  satisfy  herself  after  having  waited  for  a  few 
minutes,  she  entered  the  King  of  Navarre's  apartments, 
by  aid  of  her  pass-key.  But  she  searched  in  vain  for  the 
book. 

"  He  has  locked  it  up/'  thought  she ;  "  and  if  he  has 
not  read  it  already,  he  will." 

And  she  descended,  convinced  her  project  had  succeeded. 

The  king  arrived  at  St.-Germains.  The  sun,  hitherto 
hidden  by  a  cloud,  lighted  up  the  splendid  cortege.  Then, 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  415 

as  if  it  had  awaited  this  moment,  a  heron  rose  from  the 
reeds  with  a  mournful  cry. 

"  Haw  !  haw  I"  cried  Charles,  unhooding  his  falcon. 

The  falcon,  dazzled  for  a  moment  by  the  light,  de- 
scribed a  circle ;  then  suddenly  perceiving  the  heron, 
dashed  after  it. 

However,  the  heron,  which  had  risen  a  hundred  yards 
before  the  beaters,  had  profited  by  the  time  occupied  in 
unhooding  the  falcon  to  gain  a  considerable  distance  ;  he 
was  therefore  at  least  at  a  height  of  five  hundred  feet,  and 
was  still  mounting  rapidly. 

"  Haw  !  haw  !  Bec-de-Fer  !  "  cried  Charles  ;  "  haw  ! 
haw!" 

The  noble  bird,  like  an  arrow,  mounted  after  the  heron, 
which  had  now  well-nigh  disappeared. 

"Ah,  coward  !"  said  Charles,  putting  his  horse  to  its 
speed,  and  throwing  back  his  head,  so  as  not  to  lose  sight 
of  the  chase  ;  "  courage,  Bec-de-Fer  ! " 

The  contest  was  most  curious ;  the  falcon  was  rapidly 
nearing  the  heron ;  the  only  question  was,  which  could 
rise  the  highest.  Fear  had  better  w.ings  than  courage. 
The  falcon  passed  underneath,  and  the  heron,  profiting  by 
his  advantage,  dealt  him  a  blow  with  his  long  beak.  The 
falcon  staggered,  and  seemed  as  if  about  to  fly,  but  soon 
recovering  himself,  went  after  the  heron.  The  latter, 
pursuing  his  advantage,  had  changed  the  direction  of  his 
flight,  and  sought  the  forest  ;  but  the  falcon  followed  him 
so  closely,  that  the  heron  was  fain  again  to  mount,  and  in 
a  few  seconds  the  two  birds  were  scarcely  distinguishable. 

"  Bravo,  Bec-de-Fer ! "  cried  Charles,  ' '  see,  he  is  upper- 
most 1 " 

"  Faith  !  "  said  Henry,  "I  confess  I  do  not  see  the  one 
or  the  other." 

"  Nor  I,"  said  Marguerite. 

"  If  you  can't  see  them,  you  may  hear  them.  At  least 
the  heron,"  replied  Charles.  "  Hark  !  he  asks  quarter." 

As  he  spoke,  two  or  three  plaintive  cries  were  heard. 

"  Look,  look  !"  cried  Charles,  "  and  you  will  see  them 
descend  quicker  than  they  went  up/* 


416  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

As  the  king  spoke,  the  two  birds  reappeared  :  the  fal- 
con was  uppermost. 

"Bec-de-Fer  has  him  !"  shouted  Charles. 

The  heron,  outflown  by  the  falcon,  no  longer  sought  to 
defend  himself ;  he  folded  his  wings,  and  dropped  like  a 
stone  ;  but  his  adversary-  did  the  same  ;  and  when  the  fugi- 
tive again  resumed  his  flight,  he  received  a  stroke  that 
stunned  him  ;  he  fell  to  the  earth,  and  the  falcon,  utter- 
ing a  note  of  victory,  alighted  by  him. 

"  Brave  falcon  1"  cried  Charles,  galloping  towards  the 
spot  where  the  heron  lay.  But  suddenly  he  stopped,  and, 
uttering  a  piercing  cry,  let  fall  his  bridle,  and  pressed  his 
hand  to  his  stomach.  All  the  courtiers  hastened  up. 

"  It  is  nothing,"  said  he,  with  inflamed  features  and 
haggard  eyes.  "  But  I  felt  as  if  a  hot  iron  was  passing 
through  me  just  now ;  bat  it  is  nothing. "  And  he  gal- 
loped on. 

D'Alengon  turned  pale. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ? "  asked  Henry  of  Margue- 
rite. 

"  I  know  not,"  replied  she  ;  "but  did  you  see  Charles  ? 
— he  was  purple  ! " 

"  He  is  not  so  generally,"  said  Henry. 

Arrived  at  the  scene  of  combat,  Charles  sprang  off  his 
horse  ;  but  on  alighting,  he  was  forced  to  seize  the  sad- 
dle to  prevent  himself  from  falling. 

"  My  brother  ! "  cried  Marguerite,  "  what  is  the  mat- 
ter?"' 

"  I  feel,"  said  Charles,  "  what  Portia  must  have  felt 
when  she  swallowed  her  burning  coals.  It  seems  as  if  my 
breath  was  flame." 

Meantime,  the  falcon  was  reclaimed,  and  all  the  suite 
gathered  round  Charles. 

"  What  is  all  this  ?  "  cried  he,  "  Corps  de  Christ !  it  is 
nothing,  or  at  most  only  the  sun  that  affects  me.  Unhood 
all  the  falcons  ! — there  go  a  whole  flight  of  herons  ! " 

Five  or  six  falcons  were  instantly  unhooded,  whilst  all 
the  chase  galloped  along  the  bank  of  the  river. 

"  Well,  madaine,  what  say  you  ?  "  asked  Henry. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  417 

"  That  the  moment  is  favorable,  and  that  if  the  king 
does  not  look  back,  we  may  easily  gain  the  forest/' 

Henry  called  the  attendant  who  had  the  fallen  heron  in 
charge,  and  whilst  the  court  swept  on,  remained  behind, 
as  if  to  examine  the  bird.  At  this  moment,  and  as  if  to 
aid  his  plans,  a  pheasant  rose.  Henry  slipped  the  jesses  of 
his  falcon  :  he  had  now  the  pretext  of  a  chase  on  his  own 
account  to  assist  him. 


CHAPTER  LI. 

THE  PAVILIOK  OP  FRANCOIS  THE  FIRST. 

AT  the  right  of  the  Allee  des  Violettes  is  a  long  clearing, 
so  far  that  it  cannot  be  discovered  from  the  high-road,  but 
yet  the  high-road  can  be  seen  from  the  clearing. 

In  the  middle  of  this  clearing  two  men  were  lying  on 
the  grass,  having  a  traveling  cloak  spread  beneath  them, 
at  their  side  a  long  sword,  and  a  musketoon  (then  called  a 
petronel)  with  the  muzzle  turned  from  them.  One  of  them 
was  leaning  on  his  knee  and  one  hand,  listening  like  a  hare 
or  deer. 

"  It  appears  to  me,"  said  this  individual,  "  that  the 
hunt  drew  very  close  upon  us  just  now.  I  heard  theories 
of  the  hunters  as  they  cheered  on  the  falcon." 

"And  now,"  said  the  other,  who  appeared  to  await 
events  with  much  more  philosophy  than  his  comrade,  "  now 
I  hear  them  no  longer ;  they  must  be  a  long  way  off." 

"  What  the  devil !  my  dear  Annibal,"  said  the  other, 
"  would  you  have  ?  We  must  wait  quietly  ;  the  place  hides 
us  and  our  mules  and  horses  very  well ;  De  Mouy  has  se- 
lected a  good  spot,  one  which  has  all  the  concealments  and 
privacy  indispensable  to  a  conspirator." 

"  Ah,  good  ! "  said  the  other  gentleman  ;  "  that's  the 
word,  is  it  ?    Well,  I  expected  it.     So,  then,  we  are  con- 
spiring, are  we  ?  " 
27 


4:18  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  We  are  not  conspiring ;  we  are  serving  the  king  and 
queen. " 

"  Well,  it's  all  very  odd  ! "  said  Coconnas,  yawning. 
"  It  is  not  yet  twelve  o'clock,  and  therefore  we  have  time 
for  a  nap  ;  "  and  so  saying,  Coconuas  stretched  himself  on 
his  mantle  like  a  man  who  is  about  to  add  practise  to  pre- 
cept, but  as  his  ear  touched  the  ground,  he  raised  his  fin- 
ger and  motioned  La  Mole  to  be  silent. 

Then  a  distant  sound  was  heard,  at  first  scarcely  percep- 
tible, and  to  unpractised  ears  would  only  have  been  the 
wind,  but  to  the  cavaliers  it  was  the  distant  galloping  of 
horses. 

La  Mole  sprang  to  his  feet  in  a  moment. 

"  Here  they  are  !  "  said  he.     "  Now  then  for  a  start  !  " 

Coconnas  rose  more  quietly,  and  then  a  regular  and  meas- 
ured noise  struck  the  ear  of  the  two  friends  ;  the  neigh- 
ing of  a  horse  made  the  horses  they  had  at  ten  paces  off 
prick  up  their  ears,  and  in  an  alley  there  passed,  like  a 
white  shadow,  a  female,  who,  turning  towards  them,  made 
a  particular  signal  and  disappeared. 

"  The  queen  ! "  they  exclaimed,  both  at  once. 

"  What  can  this  mean  ?  "  said  Coconnas. 

"  And  she  did  so  with  her  arm,"  said  La  Mole,  "  which 
means  :  '  Presently  ' " 

"She  did  so,"  said  Coconnas,  "which  means:  'Go 
at  once ' " 

"  The  signal  means  :  '  Wait  for  me."' 

"  It  means  :  'Away  at  once  !  ' 

"  Well,"  said  La  Mole,  "  let  each  act  on  his  own  convic- 
tion. Do  you  go — I  will  remain." 

Coconnas  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  laid  down  on  the 
grass.  At  the  same  moment,  in  the  opposite  direction 
from  that  which  the  queen  had  followed,  but  in  the  same 
alley,  there  passed,  at  top  speed,  a  troop  of  horsemen, 
whom  the  two  friends  recognized  as  Protestants.  They 
disappeared  rapidly. 

"  Peste !  the  thing  becomes  serious,"  said  Coconnas, 
rising.  "  Let  us  go  to  the  Pavilion  of  Fra^ois  the  First." 

"  No,"  replied  La  Mole  ;  "  by  no  means.     If  we  are 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  419 

discovered,  the  attention  of  the  king  will  be  especially 
directed  towards  the  pavilion,  as  that  is  the  general 
rendezvous. " 

"  Well,  perhaps  you  are  right,"  grumbled  Coconnas. 

Hardly  had  these  words  been  uttered,  than  a  horseman 
passed  like  a  flash  of  lightning  amidst  the  trees,  and  leap- 
ing over  ditches,  bushes,  briars,  and  all  obstacles,  reached 
the  young  men.  He  had  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  and  guided 
his  horse  in  his  furious  career  with  his  knees  only. 

"  M.  de  Mouy  !"  exclaimed  Caconnas,  uneasy,  and 
now  more  on  the  alert  than  La  Mole  ;  "  M.  de  Mouy  fly- 
ing !  it  is  every  one  for  himself  ! " 

"  Quick — quick  ! "  cried  the  Huguenot ;  "  away  with 
you  ! — all  is  lost  1 — I  have  come  round  to  tell  you  so,  and 
now  to  horse  and  away  !  " 

"  And  the  queen  ! "  criedLa  Mole. 

But  the  voice  of  the  young  man  was  lost  in  the  distance, 
and  he  neither  heard  nor  replied. 

Coconnas  had  soon  made  up  his  mind,  whilst  La  Mole 
remained  motionless,  following  De  Mouy  with  his  eyes,  as 
he  disappeared  amongst  the  branches.  He  hastened  to  the 
horses,  and  leaping  on  his  own,  threw  the  bridle  of  the 
other  to  La  Mole,  and  prepared  to  dash  off.  "  Come, 
come  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  Let  us  be  off,  as  De  Mouy  advises, 
and  De  Mouy  is  a  sensible  man.  Away,  away,  La  Mole  ! " 

"  One  moment,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  we  came  here  for 
something." 

"  Unless  it  is  to  get  hanged,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  I 
would  advise  you  to  lose  no  more  time.  I  would  only  ob- 
serve, that  when  M.  de  Mouy  de  Saint-Phale  flies,  all  the 
world  may  flee  too.'* 

"  M.  de  Mouy  de  Saiiit-Phale,"  said  La  Mole,  "  is  not 
charged  to  carry  off  the  Queen  Marguerite  !  M.  de  Mouy 
de  Saint-Phale  does  not  love  the  Queen  Marguerite  I" 

"Mordi  !  and  he  is  quite  right  too  !  *  Come  de  bositf!1 
as  King  Charles  says,  we  are  conspiring,  my  dear  fellow  ; 
and  when  men  conspire,  they  should  make  off  at  the  right 
time.  Mount,  mount,  La  Mole  !  " 

"  Well,  well,  let  us  then  to  horse  and  away  ! " 


420  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  That's  right/' 

La  Mole  turned  round  to  lay  his  hand  on  the  pommel 
of  his  saddle  ;  but  at  the  moment  when  he  put  foot  in  the 
stirrup,  a  voice  of  command  was  heard,  saying  : 

' '  Halt  there — surrender  ! " 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  figure  of  a  man  was  seen 
behind  an  oak — then  another — then  thirty  ;  they  were 
the  light  dragoons  dismounted,  who  were  making  their 
way  quietly,  and  searching  the  forest. 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  ?  "  muttered  Coconnas. 

The  light  dragoons  were  within  thirty  paces  of  the  two 
friends. 

"  Well,  gentlemen/'  said  the  Piedmontese,  "  what  is 
your  pleasure  ?  " 

The  lieutenant  desired  his  men  to  take  aim  at  the  two 
friends. 

"  Gentlemen/'  said  Coconnas,  drawing  his  sword,  and 
raising  it  in  the  air,  "  we  surrender  ;  but  allow  me  to  in- 
quire wherefore  we  are  called  on  to  do  so  ?" 

"  That  you  must  ask  of  the  King  of  Navarre." 

"  What  crime  have  we  committed  ?  " 

"  M.  d'Alen9on  will  inform  you." 

Coconnas  and  La  Mole  looked  at  each  other.  The  name 
of  their  enemy  at  such  a  moment  had  very  little  to  give 
them  confidence.  Yet  they  neither  of  them  made  any  re- 
sistance. Coconnas  was  desired  to  alight  from  his  horse,  a 
maneuver  which  he  executed  without  a  word  ;  then  they 
were  both  placed  in  the  center  of  the  light  dragoons,  and 
took  the  route  to  the  Pavilion  of  Fran9ois  I. 

"You  wished  to  see  the  Pavilion  of  Fra^ois,"  said 
Coconnas  to  La  Mole,  when  they  saw  through  the  trees 
the  walls  of  a  pretty  gothic  building  ;  "  well,  there  it  is." 

La  Mole  made  no  reply,  but  only  extended  his  hand  to 
Coconnas.  By  the  side  of  this  beautiful  pavilion,  built  in 
the  time  of  Louis  XII.,  and  which  was  called  after  Fran- 
c,ois,  because  he  always  made  it  a  rendezvous  de  chasse,  was 
a  hut  built  for  the  huntsmen  and  prickers,  and  which  was 
now  nearly  concealed  by  the  muskets,  halberds,  and  swords 
in  front  of  it.  Tho  prisoners  were  conducted  to  this  hut. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  421 

We  will  now  throw  a  little  light  on  the  gloomy  position 
of  the  two  friends,  by  stating  a  few  details.  The  Protes- 
tant gentlemen  had  assembled,  as  was  agreed,  in  the 
Pavilion  of  Fraii9ois  I.,  of  which  we  know  De  Mouy  had  the 
key.  Masters  of  the  forest,  as  they  believed,  they  had 
placed  sentinels  here  and  there,  whom  the  light  dragoons, 
having  exchanged  their  white  scarfs  into  red  ones  (a  pre- 
caution due  to  the  ingenious  zeal  of  M.  de  Nancey),  had 
laid  hands  upon  without  striking  a  blow. 

The -light  dragoons  continued  their  quest,  keeping  a 
good  watch  over  the  pavilion  :  but  De  Mouy,  who,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  awaiting  the  king  at  the  end  of  the  Allee 
des  Violettes,  had  seen  these  red  scarfs  stealing  along,  and 
instantly  suspected  them.  He  hastily  concealed  himself, 
and  remarked  the  vast  circle  they  made  in  order  to  beat 
the  forest  and  hem  in  the  place  of  rendezvous.  At  the 
same  moment,  at  the  bottom  of  the  principal  alley,  he  had 
seen  the  white  aigrettes  and  bright  arquebusses  of  the 
king's  body-guard,  and  then  the  king  himself,  whilst  in 
the  opposite  direction  he  observed  the  King  of  Navarre. 
Then  he  had  made  a  sign  of  a  cross  with  his  hat,  which  was 
the  signal  agreed  upon  when  all  was  lost.  At  this  signal 
the  king  turned  back,  and  rapidly  disappeared.  Then  De 
Mouy,  digging  the  two  large  rowels  of  his  spurs  into  the 
sides  of  his  horse,  fled  like  the  wind,  and  as  he  fled,  gave 
those  words  of  advice  to  La  Mole  and  Cocounas  which  we 
have  mentioned. 

But  the  king,  perceiving  the  absence  of  Henry  and  Mar- 
guerite, had  arrived,  escorted  by  D'Alenqon,  to  see  them 
both  come  from  the  hut,  where  he  had  desired  all  to  be 
shut  up  who  were  found,  not  only  in  the  pavilion,  but  in 
the  forest. 

D'Alen9on,  full  of  confidence,  galloped  close  by  the  king, 
whose  excessive  pain  increased  his  ill  humor.  Twice  or 
thrice  he  had  nearly  fainted,  and  once  had  vomited  blood. 

"Quick,  quick  \"  he  said,  when  he  arrived.  "Make 
haste  ;  I  want  to  return  to  the  Louvre.  Draw  these  rebels 
out  of  their  lair.  This  is  Saint  Blaise's  day,  and  he  was 
cousin  to  Saint  Bartholomew." 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

At  these  words  of  the  king,  all  the  pikes  and  arque- 
busses  were  in  motion,  and  they  compelled  the  Huguenots 
arrested  in  the  forest  or  the  pavilion  to  come  out  of  the 
hut  one  after  the  other.  But  the  King  of  Navarre,  Mar- 
guerite, and  De  Mouy  were  not  amongst  them. 

"  Well,"  said  the  king,  "  where  is  Henry — where  is 
Margot  ?  You  promised  them  to  me,  D'Alen9on,  and, 
corbcBitf  I  I  must  have  them  found." 

"  We  have  not  seen  the  King  and  Queen  of  Navarre, 
sire,"  said  M.  de  Nancey. 

"But  here  they  come,"  observed  Madame  ne  Nevers. 

And  at  the  same  moment,  at  the  further  extremity  of 
an  alley  which  led  down  to  the  river,  appeared  Henry  and 
Marguerite,  both  as  calm  as  if  nothing  had  happened  ;  both 
with  their  falcons  on  their  wrist,  and  lovingly  side  by  side 
on  their  horses,  as  they  galloped  along,  whilst  their  steeds, 
like  themselves,  seemed  to  be  caressing  each  other. 

It  was  then  that  D'Alen9on,  furious,  commanded  the 
forests  to  be  searched,  and  that  La  Mole  and  Coconnas 
were  discovered. 

They  had  reached  the  circle  which  the  guards  closed  in  ; 
only,  as  they  were  not  sovereigns,  they  could  not  assume  so 
cool  an  appearance  as  Henry  and  Marguerite.  La  Mole 
was  too  pale,  and  Coconnas  was  too  red. 


CHAPTER  LIT. 

THE   EXAMINATIONS. 

THE  spectacle  which  presented  itself  to  the  friends,  as 
they  entered,  was  one  of  those  that,  once  seen,  is  never 
forgotten. 

As  we  have  already  said,  Charles  had  anxiously  observed 
each  prisoner  as,  one  by  one,  they  left  the  piqueur's  hut, 
watching,  with  an  earnestness  equal  to  that  felt  by  D'Alen- 
9on,  to  see  the  King  of  Navarre  come  forth. 

Both  were  doomed  to  disappointment ;  but,  though  thus 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  423 

out  in  their  calculation,  there  still  remained  something  to 
be  done,  and  that  was  to  find  the  cause  of  those  being 
absent  they  counted  upon  finding  there. 

When,  therefore,  Henry  and  Marguerite  were  seen  ap- 
proaching from  the  end  of  an  alley,  a  mortal  paleness  seized 
D'Alen9on,  while  the  breast  of  Charles  seemed  relieved 
from  a  load,  and  his  heart  beat  with  a  hope  that  his  friend 
Harry  might  yet  disprove  all  that  had  been  urged  against 
him. 

"  He  will  escape  again  I"  murmured  FranQois. 

But  at  this  moment  the  king  was  seized  with  such  ex- 
cruciating pains,  such  spasmodic  agony  throughout  his 
frame,  that,  pressing  a  hand  on  each  side,  he  shrieked 
aloud  like  a  delirious  man. 

Henry  hastened  towards  him,  but  by  the  time  he  had 
traversed  the  short  space  that  separated  them,  the  paroxysm 
had  passed  away. 

"  From  whence  come  you  ? "  inquired  the  king,  with  a 
sternness  of  manner  that  frightened  Marguerite. 

"  Nay,  brother/'  replied  she,  as  though  the  question  had 
been  applied  to  herself  ;  "  we  have  been  joining  in  the 
chase/' 

"  Had  it  been  so,  you  would  have  pursued  the  river's 
side,  instead  of  seeking  the  recesses  of  the  forest." 

"  Sire,"  said  Henry,  "  my  falcon  suddenly  struck  down 
a  pheasant,  at  the  very  time  we  had  stopped  to  look  after 
the  heron." 

' (  Have  you  the  bird  ?  " 

"  Behold  it,  sire — as  fine  a  bird  as  I  have  seen  !  "  replied 
Henry,  with  the  most  perfect  air  of  well-assumed  inno- 
cence, as  he  held  up  his  beautiful  prize. 

"  Ah,  ah  ! "  exclaimed  Charles  ;  "  but  why  did  you  not 
rejoin  me  when  you  had  secured  the  pheasant  ?  " 

"  Because  the  bird  had  directed  his  flight  towards  the 
park,  sire ;  so  that  when  we  returned  to  the  river's  side, 
we  saw  you  more  than  a  mile  off  proceeding  towards  the 
forest.  Therefore,  having  been  permitted  to  join  your 
majesty's  chase,  we  did  not  like  being  thrown  out,  and 
proceeded  to  gallop  after  yon  as  fast  as  we  could/' 


424  MABGUEKITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And  were  all  these  gentlemen  invited  also  P"  inquired 
Charles. 

"  What  gentlemen  ?  "  inquired  Henry,  casting  a  look 
of  inquiry  around  him. 

"Pardieu  !  "  exclaimed  Charles ;  "  why,  your  Huguenot 
friends.  All  I  can  say  is,  that  they  certainly  cannot  boast 
of  my  invitation  to  join  our  sport." 

"  Probably,  sire,"  answered  Henry,  "  they  come  at  the 
bidding  of  M.  d'Alenqon." 

"  I  ?  "  said  the  Duke  d'Alengon. 

"  Why,  yes,  brother,"  returned  Henry  ;  "  did  you  not 
announce  yourself  yesterday  as  King  of  Navarre  ?  What 
can  be  more  natural  than  that  the  grateful  people  have  as- 
sembled here  to  thank  you  for  accepting  the  crown,  and 
the  king  for  giving  it  ?  Is  it  not  so,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes  ! "  shouted  forth  a  number  of  voices.  ie  Long 
live  the  Duke  d'Alengon  !  long  live  King  Charles  1 " 

"  I  am  not  king  of  the  Huguenots  ! "  said  Frangois, 
perfectly  white  with  rage ;  and,  looking  stealthily  at 
Charles,  he  added,  "  and  trust  I  never  shall  be  1  ** 

"No  matter,"  interposed  Charles;  "but  you  must  be 
very  sure,  Henry,  that  I  look  upon  all  this  as  very  strange." 

"  Sire,"  cried  the  King  of  Navarre,  firmly,  "  heaven 
pardon  me  for  saying  such  a  thing,  but  most  persons  would 
say  I  was  undergoing  an  examination." 

"  And  if  it  were  so,  how  would  you  answer  ?  " 

"That  I  am  a  king  like  yourself,"  replied  Henry, 
proudly  ;  "  for  it  is  not  the  crown,  but  birth,  that  confers 
royalty  ;  and  that,  though  I  would  cheerfully  answer  any 
questions  asked  by  my  friend  and  brother,  I  should  per- 
emptorily refuse  to  reply  to  my  judge." 

"  I  only  wish,"  muttered  Charles,  "  that  for  once  in 
my  life  I  could  hit  upon  what  it  was  right  to  do." 

* '  M.  de  Mouy  is  doubtless  among  those  persons  secured/' 
cried  the  Duke  d'Alengon.  "  Let  him  be  brought  before 
your  majesty ;  we  shall  then  know  all  we  require." 

"  Is  M.de  Mouy  among  the  prisoners?  "  inquired  the  king. 

Henry  felt  a  momentary  uneasiness,  and  exchanged 
glances  with  Marguerite  ;  but  it  was  quickly  dispersed. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  425 

No  voice  answered  to  the  inquiry  of  De  Mouy. 

That  individual  is  not  among  the  parties  arrested/' 
said  M.  de  Nancey  ;  "  some  of  my  men  fancy  they  saw 
him,  but  no  one  is  certain  on  the  subject." 

An  oath  escaped  from  the  lips  of  D'Alen9on. 

"Ha!"  cried  Marguerite,  pointing  to  La  Mole  and 
Coconnas,  who  had  heard  all  that  had  passed,  and  on  whose 
wit  and  intelligence  she  felt  sure  she  might  reckon  ; 
"  here,  sire,  are  two  gentlemen  in  the  service  of  M.  D'Alen- 
9on  ;  question  them — they  will  reply  to  you." 

The  duke  felt  the  blow. 

"  I  had  them  arrested  purposely,  to  be  enabled  to  prove 
that  they  neither  of  them  belonged  to  me,"  answered  the 
duke. 

The  king  contemplated  the  two  friends,  and  started  at 
seeing  La  Mole  again. 

"  What  !  that  Provengal  here  ?  "  said  he,  frowning. 

Coconnas  bowed  most  respectfully. 

"  What  were  you  doing  when  you  were  arrested  ? " 
asked  Charles. 

"  Sire,  myself  and  friend  were  busily  engaged  planning 
deeds  of  love  and  war." 

"  What,  with  horses  ready  saddled,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
and  every  preparation  made  for  flight  ?  " 

"  Not  so,  sire  !  replied  Coconnas  ;  "  yai*r  majesty  is  mis- 
informed on  this  subject.  We  were  lying  beneath  a 
sheltering  beech,  sub  tegmine  fagi,  and  might  easily  have 
ridden  away  had  we  entertoined  the  slightest  suspicion 
that  we  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to  offend  your  majesty. 
Now,  gentlemen,"  continued  he,  turning  towards  the 
light  horsemen,  "  say,  candidly  and  fairly,  on  your  honor 
as  soldiers,  could  we  or  could  we  not  have  escaped,  had 
such  been  our  desire  ?  " 

"Truth  compels  me  to  declare,"  answered  the  lieu- 
tenant, "  that  neither  of  these  cavaliers  made  the  slight- 
est attempt  at  flight." 

"Because,  in  all  probability,  their  horses  were  too  far 
off,"  chimed  in  the  Duke  d'Alengon. 

"Your  pardon,  my  lord  duke,"  responded  Coconnas, 


426  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  but  our  horses  could  scarcely  be  nearer  than  they  were 
I  being  upon  mine,  and  M.  de  la  Mole  holding  his,  in  the 
very  act  of  mounting." 

"  Is  this  correct  ?  "  inquired  the  king. 

"  Perfectly  so,"  replied  the  lieutenant;  "  and  more,  upon 
seeing  us  approach,  M.  de  Coconnas  got  off  his  horse." 

Coconnas  looked  at  the  king  with  a  sort  of  grim  smile, 
that  seemed  to  say,  "  There,  you  see  ! " 

"  But  what  did  all  those  led  horses,  those  mules  laden 
with  cases  and  packages,  signify,  then  ?"  demanded 
Francois. 

"How  can  we  tell  you  ?"  replied  Coconnas  ;  "  we  are 
neither  grooms  nor  squires.  Ask  these  questions  of  the 
varlet  who  had  charge  of  them." 

* '  He  is  not  to  be  found  ! "  exclaimed  the  duke,  almost 
frantic  with  rage. 

"Most  likely  he  was  frightened,  and  ran  away,"  re- 
torted Coconnas  ;  "  one  cannot  expect  a  clown  to  have 
the  notions  or  manners  of  a  gentleman." 

"  Still  the  same  system,"  said  D'Alenqon,  gnashing  his 
teeth  ;  "  fortunately,  sire,  I  told  you  beforehand  that 
neither  of  these  persons  had  been  in  my  service  for  some 
days  past/' 

"Is  it  possible,"  cried  Coconnas,  "that  1  have  the 
misfortune  no  'longer  to  form  part  of  your  highnesses 
retinue  ?  " 

"  Morbleu  f  monsieur,  why  affect  ignorance  on  this 
subject,  when  you  yourself  gave  in  your  dismissal  in  a 
letter  so  impertinent  that  I  have  thought  proper  to  pre- 
serve it,  and  happily  have  it  about  me." 

"I  confess,"  said  Coconnas,  "I  had  flattered  myself 
with  the  hope  of  being  forgiven  for  writing  that  letter, 
under  the  first  influence  of  vexation  at  learning  that  your 
highness  had  endeavored  to  strangle  my  friend  La  Mole  in 
one  of  the  corridors  of  the  Louvre." 

"  What  is  that  he  says  ?  "  interrupted  the  king. 

"  At  first  I  thought  your  highness  was  alone  in  the 
affair ;  but  afterwards  I  learned  that  three  other  per- 
sons  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  427 

"  Silence  ! "  exclaimed  Charles,  "  we  have  heard 
enough."  Then,  turning  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  he  said, 
"Henry,  your  word  not  to  escape." 

"  I  give  it  to  your  majesty." 

"  Keturn  to  Paris  with  M.  de  Nancey,  and  remain  in 
your  chamber  under  arrest.  As  for  you,  messieurs/'  con- 
tinued he,  speaking  to  the  two  friends,  "give  up  your 
swords." 

La  Mole  looked  at  Marguerite,  who  smiled  ;  the  young 
man  immediately  delivered  his  sword  to  the  nearest  of- 
ficer. Coconnas  following  his  friend's  example. 

"  Has  M.  de  Mouy  been  found  ?  "  inquired  the  king. 

"No,  sire,"  answered  M.  de  Nancey;  "either  he  was 
not  in  the  forest,  or  he  has  escaped." 

"  So  much  the  worse,"  rejoined  Charles  ;  "  but  let  us 
return  to  Paris.  I  am  cold,  and  my  head  seems  dizzy." 

"  'Tis  anger  that  excites  yon,  sire,"  observed  Franqois. 

"  It  may  be  ;  but  my  eyes  seem  troubled.  Where  are 
the  prisoners  ?  I  cannot  distinguish  anything.  Is  it  so 
soon  dark  ?  Oh,  mercy  !  help — help — I  die  ! — I  die  ! " 

So  saying,  the  unfortunate  king  let  go  the  reins  of  his 
horse,  and  fell  backwards,  wildly  stretching  forth  his 
hands  ;  while  his  terrified  courtiers,  alarmed  at  this  sud- 
den seizure,  prevented  him  from  falling. 

Standing  apart  from  the  clustering  nobles,  FranQois 
wiped  the  cold  drops  from  his  brow  ;  for  he  alone  of  all 
the  company  knew  the- cause  of  Charles's  violent  attack. 

The  king  was  now  quite  insensible.  A  litter  was 
brought,  and  he  being  extended  on  it,  was  covered  with  a 
cloak  taken  from  the  shoulders  of  one  of  his  attendants. 

The  melancholy  procession  then  proceeded  towards 
Paris,  in  a  very  different  frame  of  mind  to  that  in  which 
it  had  departed  thence  in  the  morning.  Then,  a  merry, 
jocund  party  had  set  forth,  ^consisting  of  conspirators 
whose  hearts  beat  high  with  hope,  and  a  joyous  monarch, 
promising  himself  many  such  days  of  princely  enjoyment : 
their  return  displayed  a  dying  king  surrounded  by  rebel 
prisoners. 

Marguerite,  who  throughout  all  this  had  not  for  an  in- 

DUUAS— VOL.  III.— 19 


428  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

stant  lost  her  self-possession,  gave  her  husband  a  look  of 
intelligence,  then,  passing  so  close  to  La  Mole  that  he  was 
enabled  to  catch  the  two  brief  words  she  uttered,  she  said  : 

"  Me  deide."  ("  Fear  nothing.") 

"Now,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  captain  of  light 
horse,  "  we  are  ready  to  start." 

"  Would  it  be  a  liberty,"  inquired  Coconnas,  "  to  ask 
where  we  are  going  to  ?  " 

"  I  believe  to  Vincennes,"  replied  the  lieutenant. 

"  I  would  rather  be  going  anywhere  else,"  answered  Co- 
connas ;  "  but  people  are  sometimes  obliged  to  do  things 
against  their  will." 

The  king  recovered  his  senses  during  the  journey,  and 
even  a  portion  of  his  strength  :  he  declared  himself  equal 
to  remounting  his  horse,  but  that  was  not  permitted. 

"  Let  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  be  immediately  sum- 
moned," said  Charles,  as  he  reached  the  Louvre.  Then, 
descending  from  his  litter,  he  walked  slowly  towards  his 
apartments  leaning  on  the  arm  of  Tavannes,  and  strictly 
forbidding  any  persons  following  him. 

All  had  observed  his  extreme  gravity  of  look  and  manner. 
During  the  journey  homewards,  he  had  appeared  lost  in 
reflection,  not  addressing  a  word  to  those  around  him. 
Still  it  was  evident,  that  the  recently  discovered  con- 
spiracy formed  no  part  of  his  thoughts,  but  that  he  was 
solely  occupied  with  his  own  illness — a  malady  so  strange, 
so  sudden  and  severe,  and  the  symptoms  of  which  remind- 
ed the  spectators  of  those  visible  in  the  last  sickness  of 
Francois  II. 

Arrived  at  his  chamber,  Charles  seated  himself  on  a 
species  of  chaise-longue,  and  supported  his  head  on  the 
cushions  :  then,  reflecting  that  there  might  be  some  little 
delay  ere  the  arrival  of  Mattre  Ambroise  Pare  he  deter- 
mined to  employ  the  intermediate  space  as  well  as  he 
could.  He  clapped  his  hands — a  guard  appeared. 

Let  the  King  of  Navarre  be  informed  I  desire  to  speak 
with  him,"  said  Charles. 

The  man  bowed,  and  departed. 

Again  was  the  king  visited  by  a  repetition  of  the  dis- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  429 

tressing  sufferings  he  had  previously  undergone  ;  his  head 
fell  back  ;  his  ideas  seemed  crowded  and  confused,  till  he 
could  not  separate  one  from  the  other ;  a  sort  of  blood- 
colored  vapor  seemed  to  float  before  his  eyes ;  his  mouth 
was  parched,  and  he  fruitlessly  sought  to  slake  the  burn- 
ing thirst  by  which  he  was  consumed  by  swallowing  the 
contents  of  a  carafe  of  water. 

During  the  almost  lethargic  state  into  which  Charles 
had  sunk,  a  sudden  noise  was  heard  of  approaching  foot- 
steps ;  the  door  rolled  back  on  its  hinges,  and  Henry  stood 
before  him. 

"  You  sent  for  me,  sire,"  said  he.     "  I  am  here." 

The  sound  of  the  well-known  voice  effectively  roused 
Charles,  who,  raising  his  languid  head  mechanically,  held 
out  his  hand  to  Henry. 

"  Sire,"  observed  Henry,  whose  arms  hung  beside  him, 
without  any  attempt  to  imitate  the  offered  cordiality  on 
the  part  of  the  king,  "  your  majesty  forgets  that  I  am  no 
longer  your  brother,  but  your  prisoner." 

"  True,  true,"  answered  Charles,  "  and  I  thank  you  for 
having  reminded  me  of  it  ;  but  was  there  not  also  some 
promise  on  your  part,  when  we  last  spoke  together,  to 
answer  me  candidly  whatever  questions  I  might  put  to 
you  ?  " 

"  I  did  so  pledge  myself  to  your  majesty,  and  I  am  ready 
to  keep  my  word." 

The  king  poured  some  water  into  the  palm  of  his  hand 
and  applied  it  to  his  temples. 

"  First,  then/'  said  he,  "  tell  me  truly,  Henry,  how 
much  of  the  charge  brought  against  you  by  the  Duke 
d'Alengon  is  correct  ?" 

"  Half  of  it.  It  was  M.  d'Alen9on  who  was  to  have 
fled,  and  I  who  was  to  have  accompanied  him." 

"  And  why  should  you  have  done  so,  Henry  ?  Are  you 
dissatisfied  with  my  conduct  towards  you  ?  " 

"  Far  from  it,  sire.  Your  majesty  is  all  goodness  ;  and 
that  God,  to  whom  the  secrets  of  all  men's  hearts  are 
known,  knows  well  how  truly  and  affectionately  I  love 
and  honor  my  king  and  brother." 


430  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Yet,"  said  Charles,  "  methinks  'tis  not  usual  to  fly 
from  those  we  love,  and  who  love  us. " 

"  Your  majesty  is  right  in  so  believing  ;  but  'twas  not 
from  those  I  loved  I  sought  to  escape,  but  from  such  as 
hated  me,  and  desired  my  ruin.  Am  I  permited  to  speak 
openly  ?  " 

"  You  are — proceed. " 

"  The  persons  whose  animosity  I  dreaded  and  wished  to 
fly  from  were  M.  d'Alen9on  and  the  queen-mother." 

"  As  for  M.  d'Alenqon,  I  will  not  say  you  are  wrong  ; 
but  the  queen-mother  loads  you  with  attentions." 

"  And  'tis  precisely  for  that  reason  I  mistrust  her  ;  and 
a  very  good  thing  it  is  I  was  on  my  guard." 

"  Against  the  queen-mother  ?" 

"  Aye,  the  queen- mother,  or  those  who  are  about  her. 
Now,  will  your  majesty  tell  me  as  candidly  as  I  have  an- 
swered the  questions  put  to  me,  whether  my  life  is  of  any 
value  in  your  eyes  ?  " 

"  I  should  be  miserable  if  any  harm  were  to  befall  you." 

"  Well,  then,  I  can  assure  your  majesty  you  have  twice 
very  narrowly  escaped  being  made  miserable  on  my  ac- 
count. Twice  has  Providence  interposed  in  my  behalf. 
Certainly,  upon  one  occasion  Providence  thought  fit  to 
assume  the  features  of  your  majesty." 

"And  who  was  your  preserver  upon  the  other  oc- 
casion ?  " 

"A  very  unlikely  person  to  be  selected  as  a  providential 
agent  for  good  :  no  other  than  Rene." 

"  And  what  did  he  for  you  ?  " 

"  He  saved  me  from  poison." 

"  You  have  all  the  luck,  Harry  ! "  murmured  poor 
Charles,  faintly  smiling ;  but  the  feeble  attempt  was 
quickly  dispelled  by  the  sharp  spasmodic  contraction  of 
returning  suffering. 

The  king  wiped  his  brow,  and  signed  to  Henry  to  pro- 
ceed. 

"  Well,  sire,"  said  Henry,  "  have  I  spoken  out  as  boldly 
as  you  desired  ?  Is  there  anything  else  you  -are  desirous 
of  questioning  me  upon  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS. 

"  Harry,  you  are  a  good  and  faithful  fellow.  Tell  me 
this — do  you  apprehend  any  further  attempts  on  your  life 
or  honor  on  the  part  of  your  enemies  ?  " 

"I  can  but  assure  you,  that  when  evening  comes,  I  am 
always  surprised  to  find  myself  still  in  existence." 

"  It  is  because  they  see  I  love  you,  they  are  thus  bitter  : 
but  make  yourself  quite  easy.  They  shall  meet  with  their 
just  reward  ;  meanwhile,  you  are  free/' 

"  To  quit  Paris  ?"  asked  Henry. 

"  No,  no  !  You  are  well  aware  I  cannot  possibly  do 
without  you.  Millenoms  d'un  diable!  I  must  have  some 
one  to  love  me,  surely." 

"  Then  if  your  majesty  prefers  keeping  me  with  you,  at 
least  grant  me  one  favor. " 

"What  is  that?" 

*'  Not  to  entertain  me  as  a  friend,  but  to  detain  me  as  a 
prisoner." 

"  A  prisoner,  Harry  ! " 

"Nay,  does  not  your  majesty  see  plainly  enough  that  it 
is  your  friendship  that  brings  all  my  troubles  and  disas- 
ters on  me  ?  " 

"  And  you  would  prefer  my  hatred  ?  " 

"  I  would  only  desire  your  feigned  dislike,  sire.  An 
outward  manifestation  of  displeasure  on  your  part  will 
save  me  from  any  further  persecution  from  those  who 
will  esteem  me  of  too  little  consequence  to  merit  their 
hostility,  directly  they  believe  you  have  disgraced  and  dis- 
missed me  from  favor — but  your  majesty  is  still  suffering 
from  your  recent  attack  ;  I  can  perceive  the  efforts  you 
are  making  to  conceal  it.  Permit  me  to  summon  the 
necessary  aid." 

"I  have  sent  for  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare." 

"  Then  I  shall  retire  more  satisfied." 

"  Upon  my  soul,"  said  the  king.  "  I  verily  believe 
you  are  the  only  person  in  the  world  who  really  loves 
me!" 

"  Is  such  your  opinion,  sire  ?  " 

"  It  is,  oil  the  word  of  a  gentleman." 

"  Then  I  pray  you  to  commend  me  to  the  strict  keep- 


432  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

ing  of  M.  de  Nancey,  as  a  man  your  extreme  anger  may 
doom  to  death  ere  a  month  is  past.  By  that  means  you 
will  have  me  to  love  you  for  many  years." 

"  M.  de  Naneey  !  "  cried  Charles.  The  captain  of  the 
guards  entered.  "  M.  de  Nancey,"  said  Charles,  "  I  here 
commit  to  your  keeping  the  most  guilty  man  in  my  king- 
dom ;  yon  will  answer  for  him  with  your  life. " 

The  officer  bowed  low  ;  and  with  a  well-feigned  air  of 
consternation,  Henry  followed  his  self-solicited  keeper 
from  the  apartment. 


CHAPTER  Lin. 

ACTION. 

CHARLES  was  alone,  and  much  astonished  not  to  have 
seen  one  or  other  of  his  faithful  attendants — his  nurse 
Madeleine  and  his  greyhound  Actaeon. 

"  Nurse  has  gone  to  sing  her  psalms  with  some  Hugue- 
not of  her  acquaintance,"  he  said  to  himself  ;  "  and  Actaeon 
is  still  angry  with  me  for  the  blow  I  gave  him  with  my  whip 
this  morning." 

Charles  then  took  a  wax  candle,  and  went  into  the  nurse's 
apartment :  she  was  not  there,  and  he  passed  on  into  his 
armory  ;  but  as  he  went  forward,  one  of  those  agonies  he 
had  already  experienced,  and  which  came  on  him  suddenly, 
seized  him.  He  suffered  as  if  his  entrails  were  perforated 
with  a  hot  iron ;  an  unquenchable  thirst  consumed  him, 
and  seeing  a  cup  of  milk  on  the  table,  he  swallowed  it  at 
a  draught,  and  then  felt  somewhat  easier,  and  entered  the 
armory. 

To  his  great  astonishment,  Actaeon  did  not  come  to  meet 
him — had  he  been  shut  up  ?  In  that  case,  he  would  have 
known  that  his  master  had  returned  from  hunting,  and 
howled  to  rejoin  him. 

Charles  called — whistled — the  animal  did  not  appear. 

He  advanced  four  paces,  and  as  the  light  of  the  waz 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  433 

candle  threw  its  beams  to  the  angle  of  the  cabinet,  he  saw, 
in  the  corner,  a  large  mass  extended  on  the  floor. 

"  Halo  !  Actseon,  halo  !  "  said  Charles,  whistling  again. 

The  dog  never  stirred  ;  Charles  hastened  forward,  and 
touched  him  ;  the  poor  brute  was  stiff  and  cold.  From 
his  throat,  contracted  by  pain,  several  drops  of  humor 
had  fallen,  mingled  with  a  foamy  and  bloody  slaver.  The 
dog  had  found  in  the  cabinet  an  old  cap  of  his  master's, 
and  had  died  with  his  head  resting  on  something  that 
represented  a  friend.  ' 

At  this  spectacle,  which  made  him  forget  his  own  suffer- 
ings, and  restored  him  to  all  his  energy,  rage  boiled  in 
Charles's  veins  :  he  would  have  cried  out,  but,  encompassed 
in  their  greatness  as  they  are,  kings  are  not  free  to  yield 
to  that  first  impulse  which  every  man  turns  to  the  profit 
of  his  passion  or  his  defense  :  Charles  reflected  that  there 
might  be  some  treason  here,  and  was  silent. 

Then  he  knelt  before  his  dog,  and  examined  the  dead 
carcase  with  an  experienced  eye.  The  eye  was  glassy,  the 
tongue  red,  and  covered  with  pustules  ;  it  was  a  strange 
disease,  and  made  Charles  shudder. 

The  king  put  on  his  gloves,  opened  the  livid  lips  of  the 
dog  to  examine  the  teeth,  and  remarked,  in  the  interstices, 
some  white-looking  fragments  clinging  about  the  points  of 
his  sharp  teeth.  He  took  these  fragments  out,  and  at  once 
recognized  that  they  were  paper ;  near  where  the  paper 
was,  the  inflammation  was  more  violent,  the  gums  more 
swollen,  and  the  skin  as  if  eaten  by  vitriol. 

Charles  looked  around  him  attentively.  On  the  carpet 
were  lying  several  pieces  of  paper  similar  to  that  which  he 
had  already  recognized  in  the  dog's  throat ;  one  of  the  bits, 
larger  than  the  others,  presented  the  marks  of  an  engrav- 
ing on  wood.  Charles's  hair  stood  erect  on  his  head  ;  he 
recognized  a  fragment  of  the  engraving  which  represented 
a  gentleman  hawking,  and  it  was  that  which  Actaeon  had 
torn  out  of  the  book. 

"  Ah,"  said  he,  turning  pale,  "  the  book  was  poisoned  ! " 
Then,  suddenly  calling  up  his  recollections,  "  Milk  de- 
mons !  I  touched  every  page  with  my  finger,  and  at  every 
28 


434  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

page  I  raised  my  finger  to  my  lips  to  moisten  it.  These 
faintings — these  agonies — these  vomitings  ! — I  am  a  dead 
man!" 

Charles  remained  for  an  instant  motionless  under  the 
weight  of  this  frightful  idea  ;  then,  raising  himself  with 
a  hoarse  groan,  he  went  hastily  towards  the  door. 

"  Let  some  one  go  instantly,  and  with  all  despatch/'  he 
cried,  "  to  Maitre  Rene,  and  bring  him  here  in  ten  min- 
utes. If  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  arrives,  desire  him  to 
wait." 

A  guard  went  instantly  to  obey  the  king's  commands. 

"  Ah/*  muttered  Charles,  "  if  I  put  everybody  to  the 
torture,  I  will  learn  who  gave  this  book  to  Harry  ! "  and 
with  the  perspiration  on  his  brow,  his  hands  clenched,  his 
breast  heaving,  Charles  remained  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  body  of  his  dead  dog.  Ten  minutes  afterwards,  the 
Florentine  rapped  timidly  at  the  door.  "  Enter  ! "  said 
Charles. 

The  perfumer  appeared,  and  Charles  went  up  towards 
him  with  an  imperious  air  and  compressed  lip. 

"  Your  majesty  desired  to  see  me,"  said  Rene,  trem- 
bling. 

"  Yes  ;  you  are  a  skilful  chemist,  are  you  not  ?  " 

«  Sire " 

"  And  know  all  that  the  most  skilful  doctors  know  ?  " 

"Your  majesty  is  pleased  to  flatter  me." 

"No,  my  mother  tells  me  so  ;  and  besides,  I  have  confi- 
dence in  you,  and  had  rather  consult  you  than  any  one 
else.  Look  ! "  he  continued,  pointing  to  the  carcass  of 
the  dead  dog  ;  "  I  beg  you  to  look  at  that  animal's  moath, 
and  tell  me  of  what  death  he  has  died." 

"Whilst  Ren§,  with  a  wax  candle  in  his  hand,  was  stoop- 
ing down  to  the  ground,  as  much  to  hide  his  emotion  as 
to  obey  the  king,  Charles,  standing  up,  with  his  eyes  fixed 
on  him,  awaited  with  a  feverish  expectation,  easily  to  be 
imagined,  the  reply,  which  would  be  his  sentence  of  death 
or  his  assurance  of  safety. 

Rene"  drew  a  kind  of  scalpel  from  his  pocket,  opened  it, 
and,  with  the  point,  detached  from  the  dog's  throat  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  435 

morsels  of  paper  adhering  to  the  gums,  looking  long  and  at- 
tentively to  the  humor  and  blood  which  distilled  from 
each  wound. 

"  Sire/'  he  said,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  "  here  are  very 
sad  symptoms." 

Charles  felt  an  icy  shudder  run  through  his  veins,  and 
to  his  very  heart. 

"  Yes/'  he  exclaimed,  "  the  dog  has  been  poisoned,  has 
he  not?" 

"I  fear  so,  sire." 

"  And  with  what  sort  of  poison  ?  " 

"I  think  a  mineral  poison." 

"  Can  you  ascertain  to  a  certainty  whether  or  not  he  has 
been  poisoned  ?  " 

"  Yes,  on  opening  and  examining  the  stomach." 

"  Open  it,  then,  as  I  wish  to  be  assured  on  the  point." 

"  I  must  call  some  one  to  assist  me." 

"I  will  assist  you,"  said  Charles  ;  "  and  if  he  has  been 
poisoned,  what  symptoms  shall  we  find  ?" 

"Red  blotches  and  herborizations  in  the  stomach." 

"  Come,  then,  to  work  !  " 

Een6",  with  one  stroke  of  the  scalpel,  opened  the  hound's 
body,  whilst  Charles,  with  one  knee  on  the  ground,  lighted 
him  with  clenched  and  convulsive  hand. 

"  See,  sire,"  said  Ren6  ;  "  see,  here  are  certain  marks  ; 
here  are  the  red  blotches  I  mentioned,  and  these  veins, 
turgid  with  blood,  like  the  roots  of  certain  plants,  are 
what  I  meant  by  herborizations.  I  find  here  every  symp- 
tom I  anticipated." 

"  And  the  dog  is  assuredly  poisoned  ?  " 

"  Unquestionably^  sire/' 

"  With  mineral  poison  ?  " 

"  According  to  every  appearance." 

"And  what  would  be  a  man's  symptoms,  who  by  acci- 
dent had  swallowed  such  poison  ?  " 

"  Great  pains  in  the  head,  a  feeling  of  burning  in  the 
stomach,  as  if  he  had  swallowed  hot  coals,  pains  in  the 
bowels,  and  vomiting." 

"  Would  he  be  thirsty  ?"  asked  Charles. 


436  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Parchingly  thirsty." 

"  'Tis  so,  then — 'tis  so,  then,"  muttered  the  king ;  and 
aloud  he  asked,  "  What  is  the  antidote  to  administer  to  a 
man  who  had  swallowed  the  same  substance  as  my  dog  ?  " 

Ren6  reflected  an  instant.  "  There  are  many  mineral 
poisons,"  he  replied,  "  and  I  should  like  to  know  precisely 
which  your  majesty  means.  Has  your  majesty  any  idea  of 
the  mode  in  which  the  poison  was  conveyed  to  the  dog  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles  ;  "he  has  eaten  the  leaf  of  a  book." 

"  The  leaf  of  a  book  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  has  your  majesty  got  that  book  ?  " 

"Here  it  is,"  was  Charles's  answer,  taking  the  hunting- 
book  from  the  shelf  where  he  had  placed  it,  and  handing 
it  to  Rene,  who  gave  a  start  of  surprise,  which  did  not 
escape  the  king. 

"  He  has  eaten  a  leaf  of  this  book  ?  "  stammered  Rene1. 

"  Yes,  this  one  ; "  and  Charles  pointed  out  the  torn  leaf. 

"  Allow  me  to  tear  out  another,  sire." 

"Do  so." 

Rene  tore  out  a  leaf,  held  it  in  the  wax  candle,  and  when 
it  caught  light,  a  strong  smell  of  garlic  diffused  itself 
through  the  apartment.  "  He  has  been  poisoned  with  a 
preparation  of  arsenic,"  he  said. 

"  You  are  sure  ?" 

"As  if  I  had  prepared  it  myself." 

"  And  the  antidote  ?  "    Ren6  shook  his  head. 

"  What ! "  said  Charles,  in  a  hoarse  voice,  "  do  you  know 
no  remedy  ?  " 

"  The  best  and  most  efficacious  is  white  of  eggs  beaten 
in  milk  ;  but " 

"But  what  ?  " 

"  It  must  be  instantly  administered  ;  if  not " 

«  If  not " 

"It  is  a  subtle  poison,  sire,"  replied  Ren&. 

"  Yet  it  does  not  kill  at  once,"  said  Charles. 

"  No,  but  it  kills  surely  :  no  matter  as  to  the  length  of 
time  the  person  is  in  dying,  though  sometimes  that  may 
be  reduced  to  a  calculation." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  437 

Charles  leaned  on  the  marble  table.  "  Now,"  said  he, 
touching  Eene  on  the  shoulder,  "you know  this  book." 

"I,  sire  I"  replied  Ken&,  turning  pale. 

"  Yes,  you  ;  for  you  betrayed  yourself  as  your  looked 
at  it." 

"  Sire,  I  swear  to  you " 

"  Listen  to  me,  Eene,  and  listen  attentively.  You 
poisoned  the  Queen  of  Navarre  with  gloves  ;  you  poisoned 
the  Prince  de  Porcian  with  the  smoke  of  a  lamp ;  you 
tried  to  poison  M.  de  Cond6  with  a  scented  apple.  Kene", 
I  will  have  your  flesh  torn  off  your  bones,  shred  by  shred, 
with  red-hot  pincers,  if  you  do  not  tell  me  to  whom  this 
book  belongs." 

The  Florentine  saw  that  he  must  not  trifle  with 
Charles's  anger,  and  resolved  to  reply  with  audacity. 

"  And  if  I  tell  the  truth,  sire,  who  will  guarantee  me 
from  not  being  more  cruelly  tortured  than  if  I  hold  my 
tongue  ?  " 

"  I  will." 

"  Will  you  give  me  your  royal  word  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor  as  a  gentleman,  your  life  shall  be  spared," 
said  the  king. 

"Then this  book  belongs  to  me." 

"To  you? "replied  Charles,  starting,  and  gazing  on 
him  with  bewildered  eye. 

"  Yes,  to  me." 

"  And  how  did  it  leave  your  hands  ?  " 

"Her  majesty  the  queen-mother  took  it  from  my 
house." 

"  The  queen-mother  ?  "  exclaimed  Charles. 

"Yes." 

"  And  with  what  intention  ?  " 

"With  the  intention,  as  I  believe,  of  having  it  sent  to 
the  King  of  Navarre,  who  had  inquired  of  the  Duke 
d'Alen9on  for  a  book  of  this  description"  to  study  hawking 
from." 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Charles,  "  and  is  that  it  ?  I  understand 
it  all.  This  book,  indeed,  was  in  Harry's  chamber.  There 
is  a  destiny,  and  I  submit  to  it." 


438  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

At  this  moment,  Charles  was  seized  with  a  congh  so 
dry  and  violent  as  to  agonize  him,  and  bring  on  a  fresh 
attack  of  pain  in  the  stomach  ;  he  uttered  two  or  three 
stifled  groans,  and  fell  into  a  chair. 

"What  ails  you,  sire  ?"  asked  Rene, alarmed. 

"Nothing,"  said  Charles,  "except  great  thirst.  Give 
me  something  to  drink." 

Ren6  poured  out  a  glass  of  water,  and  presented  it  to 
Charles,  who  swallowed  it  at  a  draught. 

"  Now/'  said  he,  taking  a  pen,  and  dropping  it  into  the 
ink,  "  write  in  this  book." 

"  What  shall  I  write  ?  " 

"What  I  dictate  :  '  This  book  on  hawking  was  given  by 
me  to  the  queen-mother  Catherine  de  Medicis.  RENE."' 

The  Florentine  wrote  and  signed  as  he  was  commanded. 

"  You  promised  my  life  should  be  saved,"  said  Ren6. 

"And  on  my  part  I  will  keep  my  word." 

"  But,"  said  Rene,  "as  to  the  queen-mother  !" 

"  Oh,"  replied  Charles,  "  that  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with.  It  you  are  attacked,  defend  yourself." 

"  Sire,  may  I  quit  France  when  I  find  my  life  men- 
aced ?" 

"  I  will  reply  to  that  in  fifteen  days  hence  ;  in  the  mean- 
time  " 

And  Charles  frowningly  placed  his  finger  on  his  livid 
lips. 

"  Rely  on  me,  sire,"  said  Rene,  who,  too  happy  to  escape 
so  well,  bowed,  and  left  the  room. 

Behind  him  the  nurse  appeared  at  her  chamber  door. 

"What  is  the  matter,  my  Chariot  ?"  she  inquired. 

"  Nurse,  I  have  been  walking  in  the  dew,  and  it  has 
given  me  cold." 

"  You  look  very  pale,  Chariot." 

"  And  feel  very  weak.  Give  me  your  arm,  nurse,  and 
help  me  to  bed  ; "  and  leaning  on  her,  Charles  went  to 
his  chamber. 

"  Now,"  said  Charles,  "  I  will  put  myself  to  bed." 

"  And  if  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare  comes  ?  " 

"  You  must  tell  him  I  am.  better,  and  do  not  want  him." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  439 

"  But,  meanwhile,  what  will  yon  take  ?  " 

"  Oh,  a  very  simple  medicine — whites  of  eggs  beaten  in 
milk.  By  the  way,  nurse,  poor  Actseon  is  dead  ;  to-mor- 
row morning  have  him  buried  in  a  corner  of  the  garden 
of  the  Louvre  ;  he  was  one  of  my  best  friends,  and  I  will 
raise  a  tomb  over  him,  if  I  have  time." 


CHAPTER  LIV. 


ACCOKDING  to  the  order  given  by  Charles  IX.,  Henry 
was  the  same  evening  conducted  to  Vincennes,  that  famous 
castle  of  which  only  a  fragment  now  remains,  but  colossal 
enough  to  give  an  idea  of  its  past  grandeur. 

At  the  postern  of  the  prison  they  stopped.  M.  de  Nancey 
alighted  from  his  horse,  opened  the  gate  closed  with  a 
padlock,  and  respectfully  invited  the  king  to  follow  him. 
Henry  obeyed  without  a  word  of  reply.  Every  abode 
seemed  to  him  more  safe  than  the  Louvre,  and  ten  doors 
closing  on  him  at  the  same  time,  were  between  him  and 
Catherine  de  Medicis. 

The  royal  prisoner  crossed  the  drawbridge  between  two 
soldiers,  passed  the  three  doors  on  the  ground  floor  and 
the  three  doors  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  and  then,  still 
preceded  by  M.  de  Nancey,  went  up  one  flight  of  stairs. 
Arrived  there,  Captain  de  Nancey  requested  the  king  to 
follow  him  through  a  kind  of  corridor,  at  the  extremity  of 
which  was  a  very  large  and  gloomy  chamber. 

Henry  looked  around  him  with  considerable  disquietude. 

"  Where  are  we  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  In  the  chamber  of  torture,  monseigneur." 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  replied  the  king,  looking  at  it  attentively. 

There  was  something  of  everything  in  this  apartment  ; 
pitchers  and  trestles  for  the  torture  by  water  ;  wedges  and 
mallets  for  the  question  of  the  boot  ;  moreover,  there  were 
stone  benches  for  the  unhappy  wretches  who  awaited  the 


440  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

question,  nearly  all  round  the  chamber ;  and  above  these 
seats,  and  to  the  seats  themselves,  and  at  the  foot  of  these 
seats,  were  iron  rings,  morticed  into  the  walls  with  no 
symmetry  but  that  of  the  torturing  art. 

"  Ah,  ah  1"  said  Henry,  "  is  this  the  way  to  my  apart- 
ment?" 

"  Yes,  monseigneur,  and  here  it  is,"  said  a  figure  in  the 
dark,  who  approached  and  then  became  distinguishable. 

Henry  thought  he  recognized  the  voice,  and  advancing 
towards  the  individual,  said  :  "  Ah,  is  it  you,  Beaulieu  ? 
And  what  the  devil  do  you  do  here  ?  " 

s<  Sire,  I  have  been  nominated  governor  of  the  fortress 
of  Vincennes." 

"  Well,  my  dear  sir,  your  d6but  does  you  honor ;  a  king 
for  a  prisoner  is  no  bad  commencement." 

"  Pardon  me,  sire,  but  before  I  received  you  I  had  al- 
ready received  two  gentlemen." 

"  Who  may  they  be  ?  Ah,  your  pardon  !  Perhaps  I 
commit  an  indiscretion  ?  " 

"  Monseigneur,  I  have  not  been  bound  to  secrecy.  They 
are  M.  de  la  Mole  and  M.  de  Coconnas." 

"  Poor  gentlemen  !     And  where  are  they  ?  " 

"  High  up  ;  on  the  fourth  floor." 

Henry  gave  a  sigh.     It  was  there  he  wished  to  be. 

"Now,  then,  M.  de  Beaulieu,"  said  Henry,  "have  the 
kindness  to  show  me  my  chamber.  I  am  desirous  of  reach- 
ing it,  as  I  am  very  much  fatigued  with  my  day's  toil." 

"  Here,  monseigneur,"  said  Beaulieu,  showing  Henry  an 
open  door. 

" No.  2  I "  said  Henry,  "and  why  not  No.  1  ?" 

"  Because  it  is  reserved,  monseigneur." 

"  Ah,  that  is  another  thing,"  said  Henry,  and  he  became 
even  more  pensive.  He  wondered  who  was  to  occupy  No.  1. 

The  governor,  with  a  thousand  apologies,  installed  Henry 
in  his  apartment,  made  many  excuses  for  his  deficiencies, 
and  placing  two  soldiers  at  the  door,  retired. 

"Now,"  said  the  governor,  addressing  the  turnkey, 
"  let  us  visit  the  others." 

The  turnkey  preceded  him,  and  traversing  the  Salle  de 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  441 

Question,  they  again  passed  the  corridor,  and  reaching  the 
staircase,  M.  de  Beaulieu  followed  his  guide  up  three  pair 
of  stairs.  On  reaching  the  fourth  story,  the  turnkey 
opened  successively  three  doors,  each  ornamented  with 
two  locks  and  three  enormous  bolts.  He  had  scarcely 
touched  the  third  door  than  they  heard  a  joyous  voice, 
which  exclaimed  : 

"  Eh,  mordi  !  open,  if  it  be  only  to  give  us  a  little  air  ! 
Your  stove  is  so  warm,  that  it  stifles  me  here/' 

"One  moment,  my  gentleman/'  said  the  turnkey  ;  "I 
have  not  come  to  let  you  out,  but  to  come  in  to  you  with 
the  governor." 

"  M.  the  Governor  does  me  great  honor,"  replied  Co- 
connas,  "  and  is  most  welcome." 

M.  de  Beaulieu  then  entered,  and  answered  Coconnas's 
cordial  smile  by  one  of  those  icy  politenesses  which  belong 
to  governors  of  fortresses,  jailers,  and  executioners. 

"  Have  you  any  money,  sir  ?  "  he  inquired  of  his  prisoner. 

"  I  ?  "  replied  Coconnas.     "  Not  a  crown." 

"Jewels?" 

"I  have  a  ring." 

"  Allow  me  to  search  you." 

"Mordi!  "  cried  Coconnas,  reddening  with  anger. 

"  We  must  suffer  everything  for  the  service  of  the  king ! " 

"  Humph  !  "  replied  the  Piedmontese,  "  they  who  rob 
on  the  Pont-Neuf  are,  then,  like  you,  in  the  service  of 
the  king.  Mordi !  I  have  been  very  unjust,  sir ;  for 
until  now  I  had  taken  them  for  thieves." 

"Sir,  good  day!"  said  Beaulieu.  "Jailer,  lock  the 
door!" 

The  governor  went  away,  taking  with  him  the  ring,  a 
beautiful  sapphire  which  Madame  de  Nevers  had  given  to 
Coconnas  to  remind  him  ^f  the  color  of  her  eyes. 

"  Now  for  the  other,"  he  said,  as  he  went  out. 

They  crossea  aa'  empty  apartment,  and  the  game  of 
three  doors,  six  locks,  and  nine  bolts,  was  played  all  over 
again.'  The  last  door  being  opened,  a  sigh  was  the  first 
sound  that  saluted  the  visitors.  The  chamber  was  even 
more  gloomy  than  the  one  which  M.  de  Beaulien  had  just 


442  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

quitted.  La  Mole  was  seated  in  a  corner,  his  head  resting 
on  his  hand,  and  in  spite  of  the  visit  and  the  visitors,  was 
as  motionless  as  if  he  did  not  observe  them. 

"  Good  evening,  M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  Beaulieu. 

The  young  man  raised  his  head  slowly. 

"  Good  evening,  sir,"  he  replied. 

"Sir,"  continued  Beaulieu,  "I  have  come  to  search 
you." 

"  It  is  useless/'  replied  La  Mole ;  "  I  will  give  you  all  I 
have." 

"  What  have  you  ?  " 

"About  three  hundred  crowns,  these  jewels,  these 
rings." 

La  Mole  turned  out  his  pockets,  stripped  his  fingers, 
and  took  the  clasp  out  of  his  hat. 

"Have  you  nothing  more  Y" 

"Not  that  I  know  of." 

"And  that  silk  cord  round  your  neck,  what  may  that 
be  ?  "  asked  the  governor. 

"  Sir,  it  is  not  a  jewel  ;  it  is  a  relic." 

"  You  must  give  it  to  me." 

"  Really,  do  you  require  it?    Well  then,  sir,  here  it  is." 

Then  turning  away,  as  if  to  approach  the  light,  he  un- 
fastened the  pretended  relic,  which  was  in  fact  a  medallion 
containing  a  portrait.  The  latter  he  took  out  of  its  case, 
pressed  it  to  his  lips,  and  having  kissed  it  many  times, 
pretended  to  drop  it  accidentally,  and  placing  the  heel  of 
his  boot  upon  it,  crushed  it  to  atoms. 

"  Sir,"  said  Beaulieu,  when  he  saw  the  miniature  liter- 
ally ground  to  dust,  "I  shall  complain  of  this  to  the 
king." 

And  without  taking  leave  of  his  prisoner  in  a  single 
word,  he  withdrew  so  angry  that  he  left  the  turnkey  to 
fasten  the  doors.  The  jaile*  advanced  a  few  paces,  and 
observing  that  M.  de  Beaulieu  hatf .  ^iV^^v  descended 
several  stairs,  he  said,  turang  to  La  Mole  : 

"  Ma  foil  sir,  it  was-ery  well  you  gave  me  the  hui*^re(j 
crowns  at  once,  for  vhich  I  am  to  give  you  leave  to  st« 
and  talk  with  your  companion ;  for  if  you  had  not,  the 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  44.3 

governor  would  have  taken  them  with  the  other  three 
hundred,  and  my  conscience  would  then  not  have  allowed 
me  to  do  anything  for  you  ;  but  I  have  been  paid  in  ad- 
vance, and  have  promised  you  shall  see  your  comrade,  and 
an  honest  man  always  keeps  his  word  :  only,  if  you  can 
avoid  it,  for  your  own  sake  as  well  as  mine,  do  not  talk 
politics." 

La  Mole  came  forth  from  his  apartment,  and  found 
himself  face  to  face  with  Coconnas,  who  was  walking  up 
and  down  the  flags  of  the  intermediate  chamber.  The  two 
friends  threw  themselves  into  each  other's  arms.  The 
jailer  pretended  to  wipe  the  corner  of  his  eye,  and  then 
withdrew,  to  watch  that  the  prisoners  were  not  surprised, 
or  rather,  himself  not  suspected. 

"  Ah,  'tis  you,  then  ! "  said  Coconnas.  "  Has  that  brute 
of  a  governor  visited  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  yon  too,  I  presume  ?" 

"  And  taken  everything  from  you  ?  " 

"  And  from  you  too,  eh  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  had  not  much — only  a  ring  Henriette  gave  me." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  what  has  happened  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  ;  we  have  been  betrayed." 

"By  whom?" 

"  By  that  scoundrelly  Duke  d'Ale^on.  I  should  have 
been  right  to  twist  his  neck,  you  see." 

"  And  do  you  think  our  position  is  serious  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  so." 

"  Then  we  may  have  to  anticipate  the  torture  ?" 

"  I  have  already  thought  so." 

"  And  what  shall  you  do  in  that  case  ?  " 

"  And  you  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  silent,"  replied  La  Mole,  with  a  fevered 
blush,  "  if  I  can." 

"  And  I,"  said  Coconnas,  "  will  tell  them  a  few  things 
they  do  not  expect." 

"  What  things  ?  "  asked  La  Mole,  eagerly. 

"  Oh,  be  easy — things  that  will  prevent  M.  d'Alen9on 
from  sleeping  quietly  for  some  time." 

La  Mole  was   about  to    reply,  when  the  jailer,  who  no 


444  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

doubt  heard  some  noise,  came  suddenly  into  the  chamber, 
and  pushing  each  into  his  respective  dungeon,  locked  them 
in  again. 


CHAPTER  LV. 

THE  FIGUEE  OF  WAX. 

FOR  a  week  Charles  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  slow 
fever,  interrupted  by  fits  like  epilepsy.  During  these  at- 
tacks his  cries  were  terrible  ;  then,  when  they  were  over, 
he  sank  back  exhausted  into  the  arms  of  his-  nurse. 
Henry  was  shut  up  in  his  chamber  at  the  prison,  and,  at 
his  own  request  to  Charles,  no  one  was  allowed  to  see  him, 
not  even  Marguerite.  Catherine  and  D'Alen9on  thought 
him  lost :  Henry  himself  ate  and  drank  more  at  his  ease, 
hoping  he  was  forgotten.  At  court  no  one  suspected  the 
real  cause  of  the  king's  illness.  Maitre  Ambroise  Pare 
and  Mazille,  his  colleague,  believed  it  to  be  inflammation 
of  the  coats  of  the  stomach,  and  had  prescribed  a  regimen 
which  aided  the  operation  of  the  drink  prescribed  by  Rene, 
and  which  Charles  received  thrice  a  day  from  the  hands 
of  his  nurse  ;  it  was  the  only  nourishment  he  took. 

La  Mole  and  Coconnas  were  at  Vincennes  in  close  con- 
finement. Marguerite  and  Madame  de  Nevers  had  made 
several  attempts  to  see  them  or  to  send  them  a  letter,  but 
in  vain. 

One  morning  Charles  felt  rather  better,  and  ordered  the 
court  should  be  admitted.  The  doors  were  accordingly 
opened,  and  it  was  easy  to  see,  by  his  pale  cheeks  and  the 
feverish  glare  of  his  eyes,  what  great  ravages  disease  had 
made  on  the  young  king. 

Catherine,  D'AlenQon,  and  Marguerite  were  informed 
that  the  king  gave  audience.  They  all  three  entered  at  a 
short  interval  one  after  the  other  :  Catherine  calm,  D'Alen- 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  445 

gon  smiling,  Marguerite  dejected  :  Catherine  sat  down 
by  the  side  of  the  bed. without  remarking  the  look  Charles 
gave  her ;  D'Alengon  stood  at  the  foot ;  Marguerite  leaned 
against  a  table.  On  seeing  her  brother  thus  worn  by  ill- 
ness, she  could  not  repress  a  sigh  and  a  tear. 

Charles,  whom  nothing  escaped,  saw  the  tear  and  heard 
the  sigh,  and  made  a  motion  of  his  head  to  Marguerite, 
unseen  by  all  but  her.  This  sign,  slight  as  it  was,  gave 
courage  to  the  poor  queen,  to  whom  Henry  had  not  had 
time,  or  perhaps  had  not  chosen,  to  say  anything.  She 
feared  for  her  husband,  she  trembled  for  her  lover.  For 
herself  she  had  no  fear  ;  she  knew  La  Mole  too  well  not  to 
feel  that  she  might  fully  rely  upon  him. 

"Well,  my  dear  son,"  said  Catherine,  "how  are  you 
now?" 

"  Better,  madame,  better." 

"  And  what  say  the  physicians  ?" 

"  Oh,  my  physicians,  they  are  very  clever  fellows,"  cried 
Charles,  bursting  into  a  discordant  laugh  ;  "  I  have  great 
amusement  in  listening  to  their  discussions  about  my 
malady." 

"  What  my  brother  wants,"  observed  Frangois,  "  is  to 
take  the  fresh  air.  The  chase,  which  he  is  so  fond  of, 
would  do  him  good." 

"  And  yet,"  replied  Charles,  with  a  singular  smile, 
"  the  last  did  me  a  great  deal  of  harm." 

Then,  with  an  inclination  of  his  head,  he  signified  to 
the  courtiers  that  the  audience  was  at  an  end.  D'Alengon 
bowed  and  withdrew.  Margaret  seized  Charles's  wasted 
hand  and  kissed  it  tenderly,  then  left  the  apartment. 

"  Dear  Margot  ! "  murmured  Charles. 

Catherine  remained  ;  and  Charles,  seeing  her  alone 
with  him,  recoiled  as  if  from  a  serpent.  He  knew  to 
whom  and  to  what  his  death  was  attributable.  "  Why  do 
you  stay,  madame  ?  *'  asked  he  with  a  shudder. 

"  I  wish  to  speak  to  you  of  important  matters,  my  son," 
returned  Catherine. 

"  Speak,  madame/'  said  Charles. 


446  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Sire,  yoa  said  just  now  your  doctors  were  very 
skilful." 

"I  say  so  still." 

"  Well — I  suspect  that,  clever  as  they  are,  they  know 
nothing  at  all  about  your  disorder. " 

"  Really,  madarae  ?  " 

"  And  that  they  treat  the  symptoms,  instead  of  treating 
the  cause." 

"On  my  soul,"  replied  Charles,  astonished,  "  I  think 
you  are  right ! " 

"  Well,  my  son,"  continued  Catherine,  "  as  it  is  essential 
for  my  happiness  and  for  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom  you 
should  be  cured  as  speedily  as  possible,  I  have  assembled 
all  the  men  skilled,  not  only  in  curing  the  diseases  of  the 
body,  but  those  of  the  mind." 

"  What  was  the  result  ?  " 

"  That  which  I  expected  ;  I  have  the  remedy  that  will 
cure  not  only  your  body,  but  your  mind." 

Charles  trembled  ;  he  thought  that  his  mother  intended 
to  give  him  a  fresh  poison,  finding  the  first  too  slow  in 
operation. 

"  Where  is  this  remedy  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  In  the  disease  itself." 

"Where  is  that  situated  ?" 

"Listen,  my  son,"  said  the  queen*  "Did  you  never 
hear  of  secret  enemies,  who  from  a  distance  assassinate 
their  victim  ?  " 

"  By  steel  or  poison  ?  "  demanded  Charles,  witnout 
changing  the  expression  of  his  countenance. 

"  My  son,"  asked  the  Florentine,  "  do  you  believe  in 
magic  ?  " 

"Fully,"  returned  Charles,  repressing  a  smile  of  in- 
credulity. 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  Catherine,  "  from  magic 
proceed  all  your  sufferings.  An  enemy,  who  dared  not 
attack  you  openly,  has  done  so  in  secret ;  a  terrible  con- 
Bpiracy,  the  more  terrible  that  it  was  without  accomplices, 
has  been  directed  against  your  majesty." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  447 

"Oh,  oh,"  said  Charles. 

"You  doubt  it,  perhaps  ;  but  I  know  it  for  a  certainty. " 

"  I  never  doubt  what  you  tell  me/'  replied  the  king, 
sarcastically.  "I  am  curious  to  know  how  they  have 
sought  to  kill  me." 

"By  magic." 

"  Explain  yourself." 

"If  the  conspirator  I  mean,  and  whom  your  majesty 
suspects  already  in  your  mind,  had  succeeded,  there  would 
have  been  no  trace,  but  happily  your  brother  watched 
over  you." 

"  What  brother  ?  " 

"  D'Alen9on." 

"Ah  !  true,"  said  Charles,  with  a  bitter  laugh,  "I  for- 
got I  had  a  brother.  Well,  continue,  madame." 

"  He  fortunately  discovered  the  clue  to  the  conspir- 
ator." 

"  Ah  f  I  suppose  you  mean  the  King  of  Navarre, 
mother  ? "  replied  Charles,  wishing  to  see  how  far  her 
dissimulation  would  go. 

Catherine  hypocritically  cast  down  her  eyes. 

"  I  have  had  him  arrested  and  sent  to  Vincennes  for  his 
escapade,"  continued  the  king.  "Is  he  more  culpable 
than  I  suspected,  then  ?  " 

"Do  you  feel  the  fever  that  consumes  you  ?"  asked 
Catherine. 

"Yes,"  replied  Charles,  his  brow  darkening. 

"  Do  yon  feel  the  fire  that  burns  your  stomach  ?  " 

"Aye,  madame." 

"Do  you  feel  the  shooting  pains  in  your  head  ?" 

"Yes  :  how  exactly  you  understand  the  symptoms." 

"  Well,  look  here  " And  she  drew  from  under  her 

mantle  a  little  figure.  The  figure  was  of  yellow  wax, 
abont  ten  inches  high,  clothed  in  a  robe  covered  with  golden 
stars,  also  of  wax,  and  over  this  a  royal  mantle  of  the 
same  material. 

"  What  is  this  statue  ?  "  asked  Charles. 

"  See  what  it  has  on  the  head,"  said  Catherine. 

"  A  crown,"  replied  Charles. 


448  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS 

"  And  in  the  heart " 

"  A  needle." 

«  Well » 

"  Well,  do  yon  recognize  yourself  ?  " 

"  Myself  ! " 

"  Yes,  in  your  royal  robes,  with  the  crown  on  your  head." 

"  And  who  made  this  figure  ?  "  asked  the  king,  weary 
of  the  miserable  farce.  "  The  King  of  Navarre,  of 
course." 

"No,  sire." 

"  No  ;  then  I  do  no't  understand  you." 

"  I  say  no"  replied  Catherine,  "  because  you  may  ask 
the  question  literally  ;  had  you  put  it  in  a  different  man- 
ner, I  should  have  answered  yes." 

Charles  made  no  answer. 

"  Sire  "  continued  she,  "  this  statue  was  found  by  the 
attorney-general,  Laguesle,  in  the  apartment  of  the  man 
who  led  a  horse  for  the  King  of  Navarre  on  the  day  of  the 
hawking  party." 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  ?  " 

"  Himself.  Now  look  at  the  needle  in  the  heart,  and 
the  name  written  on  the  label  attached  to  it." 

"  I  see  an  M,"  returned  Charles. 

"That  means  'mort;'  it  is  the  magic  formula." 

"  So,  then,  the  person  who  seeks  to  kill  me  is  M.  de  la 
Mole  ?  "  said  Charles. 

"  Yes,  he  is  the  poniard  ;  but  behind  the  poniard  is  the 
hand  that  directs  it." 

"  This,  then,  is  the  cause  of  my  illness  ?  What  must 
now  be  done  ?  for  you  know  that,  unlike  you,  I  know 
nothing  of  charms  and  spells." 

"The  death  of  the  conspirator  destroys  the  charm. 
Its  power  ceases  with  his  life." 

"  Really." 

"  Did  you  not  know  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  no  sorcerer." 

"  But  now  you  are  convinced,  are  you  not,  of  the  cause 
of  your  illness  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  449 

"  Completely. " 

"  You  do  not  say  so  out  of  complaisance  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  !  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart." 

"  Heaven  be  praised/'  said  Catherine. 

"  Yes,  Heaven  be  praised/'  repeated  Charles,  ironically. 
"I know  the  cause  of  my  illness,  and  whom  to  punish." 

"  And  you  will  punish " 

"  M.  de  la  Mole  ;  you  say  he  is  the  guilty  party." 

"I  say  he  is  the  instrument." 

"  Well,  we  will  begin  with  him,  and  if  he  has  an  accom- 
plice, he  will  confess."  » 

"If  he  does  not,"  muttered  Catherine,  "  I  have  infal- 
lible means  of  making  him.  You  will  then,  sire,  permit 
the  process  to  commence  ?  " 

"I  desire  it,  madame,  and  the  sooner  the  better." 

Catherine  pressed  her  son's  hand,  not  at  all  understand- 
ing the  nervous  pressure  with  which  he  returned  it,  and 
left  the  apartment  without  hearing  his  sardonic  laugh,  or 
the  terrible  imprecation  which  followed  that  laugh.  At 
this  moment  he  heard  a  rustling  noise,  and,  turning 
round,  saw  Marguerite  lifting  the  tapestry  of  the  door  of 
the  nurse's  apartments. 

"Oh,  sire,  sire!"  cried  Marguerite,  "you  know  what 
she  says  is  false." 

"  She  !    Who  ?  "  said  Charles. 

"  Oh,  Charles  !  it  is  terrible  to  accuse  one's  mother ;  I 
knew  she  was  staying  only  to  persecute  him ;  but  I 
swear  to  you,  by  all  I  hold  sacred,  that  what  she  says  is 
false." 

"  Whom  does  she  persecute  ?" 

"  Henry,  your  own  Henry,  who  loves  you,  and  is  devoted 
to  you." 

"  You  think  so,  Margot  ?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  And  so  am  I." 

"  Why,  then,  did  you  arrest  him,  and  send  him  to  Vin- 
cennes  ?  "  said  Marguerite. 

"  Oh,   he  has  singular  ideas ;  perhaps  he  is  wrong, 


450  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

perhaps  he  is  right ;  but  he  thought  he  should  be  more 
safe  in  disgrace  than  in  favor,  at  Vincennes  than  in  the 
Louvre,  and  so  he  asked  me  to  arrest  him." 

"Is  he  safe  ?" 

"As  safe  as  a  man  can  be,  for  whose  life  Beaulieu  an- 
swers with  his  own." 

"  Oh,  thanks  !  but " 

"But  what?" 

"  There  is  another  person  in  whose  welfare  I  am  in- 
terested." 

"  Who  is  this  person'  ?  " 

"  Sire,  spare  me ;  I  scarce  dare  name  him  to  my 
brother,  much  less  to  my  king." 

"M.  de  la  Mole,  is  it  not?" 

"  Alas  !  sire,  yon  wished  once  before  to  kill  him,  and  he 
only  escaped  by  a  miracle." 

"  He  had  committed  but  one  crime  then,  now  he  has 
committed  two." 

"Ah  !  he  is  not  guilty  of  the  second." 

"  But  do  you  not  know  what  our  mother  says  ?  " 

"  I  have  already  told  you  what  she  says  is  false." 

"  Do  you  not  know  that  a  figure  dressed  in  royal  robes, 
and  pierced  to  the  heart,  has  been  seized  at  De  la 
Mole's  ?  " 

"  I  know  it,  but  it  was  the  figure  of  a  woman,  not  of  a 
man." 

"  And  the  needle—" 

"  Was  a  charm  to  make  himself  beloved  by  a  woman, 
not  to  kill  a  man." 

"  What  was  the  name  of  this  woman  ?" 

"  MARGUERITE  ! "  cried  the  queen,  casting  herself  at 
Charles's  bedside,  and  bathing  his  hand  with  tears. 

"Silence,  Margot,"  said  Charles,  "you  may,  in  your 
turn,  be  overheard." 

"  Oh,  no  matter  !  "  cried  the  queen.  "  If  all  the  world 
were  present  to  hear  me,  I  would  declare  it  infamous  to 
abuse  the  love  of  a  gentleman  by  staining  his  reputation 
with  a  charge  of  murder." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  451 

"  What  if  I  knew  the  real  author  of  the  crime  ?w 

«  Brother  -  " 

"  That  it  was  not  La  Mole." 

"You  know  then  -  " 

"The  real  author  of  the  crime." 

"  There  has  been  a  crime  committed,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes/' 

"  Impossible  !  " 

"  Look  at  me." 

Marguerite  obeyed,  and  shuddered  as  she  saw  him  so 
pale. 

"  I  have  not  three  months  to  live  !  " 

"  You,  my  brother  !  " 

<e  Margot,  I  am  poisoned  !  " 

Marguerite  screamed. 

"  Silence,"  said  Charles  ;  "  it  must  be  thought  I  die  by 
magic." 

"  You  know  who  is  guilty." 

"  Yes." 

"  Who  is  it  ?    D'Alen9on  ?  " 

"  Perhaps." 

"  Or,"  Marguerite  whispered,  as  if  alarmed  at  what  she 
was  going  to  say,  "our  mother  ?" 

Charles  remained  silent.  Marguerite,  however,  read  the 
answer  in  his  eye,  and  sank  into  a  chair. 

"  My  God  !  "  murmured  she.     "  It  is  impossible  !  " 

"Impossible?"  said  Charles.  "It  is  a  pity  Ren6  is 
not  here." 


"  Yes  ;  he  would  tell  you  all  about  it  :  'twas  a  book  he 
lent  to  his  mistress  that  was  poisoned,  and  that  has  poi- 
soned me.  But  this  must  be  hidden  from  the  world,  and 
that  it  may  be  so,  it  must  be  believed  I  die  of  magic,  and 
by  the  agency  of  him  they  accuse." 

"  But  it  is  monstrous  !  "  exclaimed  Marguerite.  ."  Par- 
don !  pardon  !  You  know  he  is  innocent  !  " 

"  I  know  it,  but  the  world  must  believe  him  guilty. 
Let  your  lover  die  :  his  death  alone  can  save  the  honor 

DUMAS—  VOL.  III.—  20 


452  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

of  our  family.     I  myself  die  that  the  secret  may  be  pre- 
served." 

Marguerite  saw  her  only  hope  lay  in  her  own  resources, 
and  withdrew,  weeping.  Meantime,  Catherine  had  lost 
not  an  instant,  but  had  written  to  Laguesle  the  following 
historical  letter,  which  we  give  word  for  word,  and  which 
throws  a  considerable  light  on  this  bloody  drama  : 

"  M.  LE  PROCUREUR, — I  have  this  evening  been  in- 
formed for  certain  that  La  Mole  has  committed  sacrilege  ; 
many  ill  books  and  papers  have  been  found  in  his  apart- 
ments in  Paris ;  see,  therefore,  the  chief  president,  and 
inform  him  of  the  whole  affair  ;  of  the  waxen  figure 
meant  for  the  king,  and  which  they  have  pierced  to  the 
heart. 

"  CATHERINE." 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

THE    INVISIBLE    BUCKLERS. 

THE  day  after  that  on  which  Catherine  had  written  this 
letter,  the  governor  entered  Coconnas's  cell  with  an  impos- 
ing cortege  of  two  halberdiers  and  four  black-gowned 
men. 

Coconnas  was  invited  to  descend  into  the  room  where 
Laguesle  and  two  judges  waited  to  interrogate  him,  accord- 
ing to  Catherine's  intructions. 

Dnring  the  eight  days  he  had  passed  in  prison,  Coconnas 
had  reflected  deeply  ;  besides  that,  he  and  La  Mole,  seeing 
each  other  daily,  had  agreed  on  the  conduct  they  were  to 
pursue,  which  was  to  persist  in  an  absolute  denial,  and  they 
were  persuaded  that  with  a  little  address  the  affair  would 
take  a  more  favorable  turn.  Coconnas  was  ignorant  that 
Henry  was  in  the  same  prison  with  themselves,  and  the 
complaisance  of  his  jailer  told  him  that  over  his  head  there 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  453 

was  extended  protection,  which  he  called  "  invisible  buck- 
lers." 

Up  to  this  time,  the  interrogations  had  been  confined  to 
the  designs  of  the  King  of  Navarre,  his  projects  of  flight, 
and  the  part  the  two  friends  had  borne  in  these  projects. 
Coconuas  had  constantly  replied  in  a  way  more  than  vague, 
and  much  more  than  adroit,  and  he  was  ready  still  to  re- 
ply in  a  similar  manner,  and  had  prepared  beforehand  all 
his  little  repartees,  when  he  suddenly  found  the  object  of 
the  interrogatory  to  be  altered. 

It  was  now  directed  to  several  visits  made  to  Rene,  and 
one  or  more  "waxen  figures  made  at  La  Mole's  instigation. 
Prepared  as  he  was,  Coconnas  believed  that  the  accusation 
had  lost  much  of  its  intensity,  since  it  was  no  longer  in 
reference  to  having  betrayed  a  king,  but  to  having  made 
a  figure  of  a  queen,  and  this  queen  not  more  than  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  high  at  most.  He  therefore  replied 
with  much  vivacity,  that  neither  he  not  his  friend  had 
played  with  a  doll  for  many  years  ;  and  he  saw  with  much 
satisfaction,  that  his  replies  more  than  once  made  the 
judges  laugh.  His  interrogatory  concluded,  he  went  up 
to  his  chamber  singing  so  merrily,  that  La  Mole,  for  whom 
he  made  all  this  noise,  drew  from  it  the  brightest 
auguries. 

La  Mole  was  brought  down  from  his  tower,  as  Coconnas 
had  been,  and  saw  with  equal  astonishment  the  fresh  turn 
which  the  investigation  took.  He  was  questioned  as  to  his 
visits  to  Rene.  He  replied  that  he  had  only  once  visited 
the  Florentine.  Then,  if  he  had  not  ordered  a  waxen 
figure.  He  replied,  that  Ren6  had  showed  him  such  a 
figure  ready-made.  Then  he  was  asked  if  this  figure  did 
not  represent  a  man.  He  replied,  that  it  represented  a 
woman.  Then,  if  the  purpose  of  the  charm  was  not  to 
cause  the  death  of  this  man.  He  replied  that  the  purpose 
of  the  charm  was  to  cause  himself  to  be  beloved  by  the 
woman. 

These  questions,  put  in  a  hundred  different  ways,  were 
always  replied  to  by  La  Mole  in  the  same  manner.  The 


454  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

judges  looked  at  each  other  with  a  kind  of  indecision,  not 
knowing  very  well  what  to  say  or  do,  when  a  note  brought 
to  the  attorney-general  solved  the  difficulty.  It  was  thus 
couched  :  "It  the  accused  denies,  put  him  to  the  tort- 
ure.—0." 

The  attorney  put  the  note  in  his  pocket,  smiled  at  La 
Mole,  and  politely  dismissed  him.  La  Mole  returned  to  his 
dungeon  almost  as  assured,  if  not  as  joyous,  as  Coconnas. 

"  I  think  all  will  now  go  well,"  he  said. 

An  hour  afterwards,  he  heard  footsteps,  and  saw  a  note 
which  was  slipped  under  his  door,  without  seeing  the  hand 
that  did  it.  He  took  it  up  with  a  trembling  hand,  and 
almos  died  with  joy  as  he  recognized  the  writting. 

"Courage!"  said  the  billet.  "I  am  watching  over 
you." 

"  Ah  !  if  she  is  watching/'  cried  La  Mole,  kissing  the 
billet  which  had  touched  a  hand  so  dear,  "  if  she  is  watch- 
ing, I  am  saved  ! " 

It  is  necessary,  in  order  that  La  Mole  should  comprehend 
the  purport  of  the  note,  and  rely,  with  Coconnas,  on  what 
the  Piedmontese  called  his  "  invisible  bucklers,"  that  we 
should  conduct  the  reader  to  that  small  house,  to  that  small 
chamber,  where  so  many  tender  recollections,  so  many 
bitter  feelings,  were  agonizing  the  heart  of  a  female,  lying 
back  on  a  divan  covered  with  velvet  cushions. 

"  To  be  a  queen — powerful,  young,  rich,  beautiful — and 
suffer  what  I  suffer  ! "  exclaimed  she  ;  "  oh,  it  is  horri- 
ble!" 

Then,  in  her  agitation,  she  rose,  paced  up  and  down, 
suddenly  paused,  pressed  her  burning  forehead  against 
the  ice-cold  marble,  rose,  pale  and  her  face  covered  with 
tears,  wrung  her  hands  in  agony,  and  fell  back,  fainting, 
into  the  nearest  chair. 

Suddenly  the  tapestry  which  separated  the  apartment 
in  the  Kue  Cloche-Perc6e  from  the  apartment  in  the  Rue 
Tizon  was  lifted  up,  and  the  Duchess  de  Nevers  appeared. 

"  Ah  ! n  exclaimed  Marguerite,  "  is  it  you  ?  With  what 
impatience  I  have  awaited  you.  Well,  what  news  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  455 

"  Bad  news — bad  news,  my  dear  friend !  Catherine 
herself  is  hurrying  on  the  trial,  and  is  at  this  moment  at 
Vincennes." 

"AndKene1  ?w 

"  Is  arrested." 

"  And  our  dear  prisoners  ?  " 

"The  jailer  informs  me  that  they  see  each  other  daily. 
The  day  before  yesterday  they  were  searched,  and  La 
Mole  broke  your  miniature  to  atoms  rather  than  let  them 
have  it." 

"  Dear  La  Mole  ! " 

"  Annibal  laughed  in  the  teeth  of  the  inquisitors." 

"  Worthy  Annibal  !     And  what  more  ?" 

"They  were  this  morning  interrogated  as  to  the  flight 
of  the  king,  his  projects  of  rebellion  in  Navarre  ;  and  they 
said  not  one  word." 

"  Oh,  I  knew  they  would  keep  silence  ;  but  silence  will 
kill  them  just  as  much  as  if  they  spake." 

"  Yes,  but  we  must  save  them." 

"You  have  thought  over  our  plan,  then  ?" 

"I  have  occupied  myself  with  it  since  yesterday." 

"Well?" 

"  I  have  come  to  terms  with  Beaulieu.  Ah,  my  dear 
queen,  what  a  hard  and  greedy  man  !  It  will  cost  a  man's 
life  and  three  hundred  thousand  crowns." 

"Only  the  life  of  a  man  and  three  hundred  thousand 
crowns  !  Why,  it  is  nothing  !  " 

"  Nothing  ?  Why,  it  will  cost  us  all  our  jewels  at 
least." 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing  !  The  King  of  Navarre  will  pay 
something,  the  Duke  d'Alen9on  pay  something,  my  brother 
Charles  must  pay  something,  or  if  not " 

"  Oh,  do  not  trouble  yourself ;  I  have  the  money,  or  at 
least  three  diamonds  that  will  produce  it,  and  the  man." 

"  The  man  ! — what  man  ?" 

"  The  man  who  must  be  killed,  to  be  sure.  Have  you 
already  forgotten  that  there  is  a  man  to  be  killed  ?" 

"  And  you  have  found  the  man  you  wanted  ?  " 


456  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"Precisely  so." 

"  At  the  same  price  ?  "  asked  Marguerite,  with  a  smile. 

"At  that  price  I  could  have  found  ten,"  replied  Hen- 
riette  ;  "  no,  no,  for  five  hundred  crowns/' 

"  Keally  ! " 

"  Now  listen  ;  this  is  the  plot.  The  chapel  is  the  only 
place  in  the  fortress  where  women  not  being  prisoners  are 
admitted.  We  shall  hide  behind  the  altar ;  under  the 
cloth  will  be  laid  two  daggers.  The  door  of  the  sacristy 
will  be  previously  opened.  Coconnas  will  strike  the  jailer, 
who  will  fall  down  as  if  dead  ;  we  shall  then  appear,  and 
each  cast  a  cloak  over  the  shoulders  of  our  friend.  We 
shall  then  fly  with  them  by  the  small  door  of  the  sacristy, 
and,  as  we  shall  have  the  password,  we  shall  get  out  with- 
out difficulty." 

"  And  once  out  ?  " 

"  Two  horses  will  be  in  waiting  at  the  door  :  they  will 
jump  on  them,  leave  France,  and  reach  Lorraine,  whence 
they  will  occasionally  return  incognito." 

"  Oh,  you  restore  me  to  life,"  said  Marguerite.  "  Thus, 
then,  we  shall  save  them." 

"  I  feel  almost  confident." 

"  And  soon  ?  " 

"  In  three  or  four  days  ;  Beau  lieu  is  to  let  us  know." 

"  But  if  you  were  recognized  in  the  environs  of  Vin- 
cennes,  all  our  plans  might  be  marred." 

"  How  could  any  one  recognize  me  ?  I  go  as  a  nun, 
with  a  large  hood  over  my  face ;  and  no  one  would  ever 
recognize  the  end  of  my  nose." 

"  We  cannot  take  too  many  precautions." 

"  I  know  that  well  enough,  Mordi!  as  my  poor  dear 
Annibal  says." 

"  Have  you  any  news  of  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  was  never  happier,  it  appears — laughs,  sings, 
and  eats,  drinks,  and  sleeps  well ;  all  he  asks  is  to  be  well 
guarded." 

"He  is  right." 

"  Adieu,  Marguerite  !  I  am  going  to  take  the  field 
again." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  457 

"Are  you  sure  of  Beaulieu  ?" 

"  I  think  so." 

"Of  the  jailer?" 

"  He  has  promised." 

"Horses  ?" 

"  The  best  in  the  Duke  de  Nevers*  stables." 

"  Henriette,  I  adore  you  ! "  And  Marguerite  threw  her 
arms  around  her  friend's  neck  ;  after  which  the  two  women 
separated,  promising  to  see  each  other  again  next  day  and 
every  day,  at  the  same  place  and  hour.  They  were  the 
two  charming  and  devoted  creatures  whom  Coconnas,  with 
so  much  reason,  called  the  "  invisible  bucklers." 

* 


CHAPTER  LVIL 

THE   TRIAL. 

"  WELL,  my  brave  friend,"  said  Coconnas  to  La  Mole, 
when  left  together  at  the  close  of  their  examination, 
"  everything  seems  going  on  as  favorably  as  we  could  desire 
it,  and  we  shall  ere  long  be  at  liberty." 

"No  doubt,"  answered  La  Mole  ;  "and  then  the  com- 
plaisance with  which  our  jailers  treat  us  abundantly  proves 
that  our  noble  friends  are  at  work  for  us." 

"To  be  sure  they  are,"  rejoined  Coconnas  ;  "and  how 
could  a  queen  or  a  princess  better  employ  their  riches  than 
in  procuring  our  freedom  ?  Now  let  us  go  over  our  les- 
son a  little.  We  are  to  be  conducted  to  the  chapel,  where 
we  shall  be  left  in  charge  of  our  turnkey  ;  we  each  of  us 
find  a  dagger  concealed  for  our  use  in  a  spot  described  to 
us.  Well,  then  I  manage  to  inflict  a  severe-looking,  but 
in  reality  innocent  wound,  on  our  guard,  to  make  it  ap- 
pear we,  being  two,  overpowered  him.  The  next  thing, 
we  barricade  the  door  of  the  chapel  by  piling  up  the  benches 
against  it,  while  our  two  princesses  emerge  from  their  hid- 
ing-places behind  the  altar,  and  Henriette  opens  the  small 
side-door  ! " 


458  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And,  then/' exclaimed  La  Mole,  in  accents  of  delight, 
"  we  rush  forth,  and  exchange  our  gloomy  prison  for  the 
fine  fresh  air.  A  couple  of  vigorous  horses  are  in  waiting 
for  us  ;  a  hasty  embrace  with  our  fair  preservers,  and  away 
we  go  to  Lorraine.  True,  I  could  have  wished  to  be  ban- 
ished to  Navarre,  for  that  is  her  home  ;  but  as  things  are, 
we  must  be  content  at  Nancy,  which  is  but  fifty  leagues 
from  Paris. " 

"  But  what  ails  you,  my  friend  ?  " 

"  Nothing — merely  an  idea  that  came  across  me." 

"  I  should  think  not  a  very  agreeable  one,  by  your 
becoming  so  pale." 

"I  was  wondering  within  myself  why  we  were  taken  to 
the  chapel  at  all." 

"  Why,"  said  Coconnas,  "  to  pray,  of  course — what 
else?" 

"But,"  answered  La  Mole,  "it  i»  only  customary  for 
those  who  have  undergone  the  torture  or  are  condemned 
to  death  to  pass  the  night  in  the  chapel." 

"  Truly,"  replied  Coconnas,  becoming  pale  in  his  turn, 
"  this  deserves  our  attention  ;  let  us  speak  to  the  worthy 
fellow  I  am  to  carve  my  name  upon  with  my  dagger. — 
Here,  I  say,  turnkey  ! " 

"  Did  you  call  ?  "  said  the  man,  who  had  been  keeping 
watch  at  the  top  of  the  stairs. 

"  We  want  to  know  whether  it  is  not  arranged  for  us  to 
escape  from  the  chapel  ?  " 

"Hush  !"  said  the  turnkey,  looking  round  him  with 
terror. 

"  Don't  be  frightened — no  one  can  hear  you;  speak  out." 

"  Yes,  you  will  be  conducted  to  the  chapel,  according 
to  the  custom  that  all  persons  condemned  to  death  shall 
pass  the  night  previous  to  their  execution  in  prayer." 

Coconnas  and  La  Mole  exchanged  looks  of  surprise  and 
alarm. 

"You  expect,  then,  that  we  shall  be  condemned  to 
death?" 

"  Why,  yon  think  so  yourselves,  don't  you  ?  else  why 
take  the  trouble  to  make  arrangements  for  your  flight  ?  " 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  459 

"  There  is  reason  in  what  he  says/'  said  Coconnas. 

"  We  are  playing  a  critical  game,  it  seems,"  replied  La 
Mole. 

' '  And  do  I  risk  nothing  ? "  said  the  jailer.  "  Sup- 
pose, in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  you  were  to  wound 
me  in  the  wrong  place,  strike  your  dagger  an  inch  or  two 
deeper  than  you  intended  ! " 

"  Mordi!  "  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "I  only  wish  we  could 
change  places,  and  I  had  nothing  more  to  fear  than  you 
have.  But  hark  !  I  fancy  some  one  is  approaching." 

"  Oh,  pray,  pray  gentlemen,  get  into  your  cells — make 
haste  ! " 

"  And  when  will  our  trial  take  place  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  at  latest,  but  don't  be  uneasy  ;  the  friends 
who  are  interested  for  you  shall  be  duly  informed." 

"  Then  let  us  bid  adieu  to  each  other  for  the  present, 
and  to  these  detested  walls  forever  ! " 

The  friends  exchanged  an  affectionate  embrace,  and 
each  retired  to  his  place  of  confinement — La  Mole  sighing, 
Coconnas  humming  an  air.  Nothing  unusual  occurred 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Night  descended,  dark 
and  rainy,  on  the  donjon  of  Vincennes  ;  just  such  weather 
as  would  have  favored  an  escape.  Coconnas'  supper  was 
brought,  and  eaten  with  his  ordinary  appetite  ;  and  he  had 
well-nigh  composed  himself  to  sleep,  while  listening  to 
the  loud  murmurs  of  the  wind,  and  the  splashing  rain  as 
it  drove  heavily  against  the  walls,  when  he  was  roused  by 
a  sound  of  persons  passing  to  and  fro  from  the  chamber 
of  La  Mole. 

In  vain  did  Coconnas  strain  his  listening  powers — he 
could  distinguish  nothing.  The  time  passed  on — no  per- 
son came  near  him.  "  Strange,"  murmured  he,  "  that 
La  Mole  should  receive  so  many  visits,  while  I  seem  quite 
forgotten  !  perhaps  La  Mole  felt  himself  suddenly  taken 
ill,  and  called  out  for  assistance.  What  can  it  mean  ?  " 

An  hour  and  a  half  was  thus  consumed  in  vainly  watch- 
ing for  some  clearance  to  this  mystery,  and  Coconnas  was 
beginning  to  feel  both  angry  and  sleepy,  when  the  sudden 
turning  of  the  lock  made  him  spring  to  his  feet. 


460  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  All's  right,"  said  he,  mentally ;  "  they  are  coming, 
no  doubt,  to  conduct  us  to  the  chapel,  without-  any  pre- 
vious condemnation.  Mordi  /  the  night  is  most  favorable 
— dark  as  a  pit ;  I  only  hope  the  horses  they  give  us  will 
be  able  to  find  their  way." 

He  was  about  to  ask  some  jocular  question  of  the  turn- 
key, who  had  by  that  time  entered,  when  he  observed  the 
man  put  his  finger  to  his  lips,  and  roll  his  great  eyes  in  a 
most  significant  manner. 

Coconnas  then  perceived  a  dim  outline  of  persons  fol- 
lowing the  jailer,  and  quickly  distinguished  two  figures 
wearing  helmets,  on  which  the  candle,  smoking  and  flick- 
ering in  the  strong  current  of  air  rushing  up  the  staircase, 
cast  a  reflection. 

"  Hallo,  hallo  ! "  exclaimed  he  ;  "  what  is  the  meaning 
of  all  this  ? — where  are  we  going  to  ?  " 

The  jailer  replied  only  with  a  sigh,  which  resembled  a 
groan. 

"  Follow  the  halberdiers,  sir,"  said  a  voice,  which  at  once 
made  Coconnas  aware  that  the  soldiers  were  accompanied  by 
an  officer  of  some  kind. 

"  And  where  is  M.  de  la  Mole  ?  "  inquired  the  Piedmon- 
tese  ;  "  what  has  become  of  him  ?  " 

"  Follow  the  halberdiers  ! "  repeated  the  same  voice  that 
had  previously  issued  the  same  command. 

Further  remonstrance  was  unavailing  ;  without  another 
word,  therefore,  Coconnas  began  to  descend  the  spiral 
staircase.  At  the  first  floor  the  guards  stopped  ;  the  door 
was  opened,  and  a  number  of  persons  arrayed  as  judges  and 
seated  in  judicial  order  presented  themselves,  while  in  the 
background  Coconnas  discerned  the  dim  outline  of  a  man 
with  naked  arms  and  a  look  that  made  a  cold  dew  start  to 
his  forehead. 

Still  concealing  his  alarm,  he  entered  the  chamber  with 
an  easy,  degagfo  air,  his  head  thrown  a  little  on  one  side, 
and  his  hand  on  his  hip,  after  the  most  approved  manner 
of  court  gallants.  As  Coconnas  advanced,  he  perceived 
La  Mole  sitting  on  a  bench  near  the  judges  and  officials. 
The  guards  led  Coconnas  to  the  front  of  the  tribunal : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  461 

arrived  there,  he  stopped,  turned  round,  and  smilingly 
nodded  to  La  Mole  ;  then  remained  in  close  attention  to 
the  proceedings  of  the  court. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?"  inquired  the  president. 

"  Marc  Annibal  de  Coconnas,"  replied  the  Piedmontese, 
with  gentlemanly  grace,  "  Count  of  Montpantier,  Che- 
naux,  and  other  places  ;  but  I  presume  you  don't  wish  to 
know  all  that." 

"Where  were  you  born?" 

"  At  Saint  Colomban,  near  Suza." 

"  How  old  are  you  ?  " 

"  Twenty-seven  years  and  three  months." 

"Good  \"  answered  the  president. 

"He  seems  to  be  pleased  with  my  account  of  myself," 
murmured  Coconnas. 

"Now,  then,"  continued  the  president,  "what  was  your 
motive  in  quitting  the  service  of  the  Duke  d'Alenqon  ?  " 

"  To  rejoin  my  friend,  M.  de  la  Mole,  who,  when  I  quitted 
M.  d'Alen9on,  had  also  left  him  some  days." 

"  And  what  were  you  doing  when  arrested,  the  day  of 
the  chase  at  Saint-Germains  ?" 

"  Why,  hunting,  of  course  !  "  replied  Coconnas. 

"  The  king  was  also  present  at  that  chase,  and  there  he 
was  first  seized  with  violent  illness." 

"  I  know  nothing  about  that ;  I  was  not  near  the  king 
myself,  and  I  did  not  even  know  he  had  been  taken  ill." 

The  judges  regarded  each  other  with  an  air  of  incre- 
dulity. 

"  Oh  !  you  were  ignorant  of  his  majesty's  illness,  were 
you?" 

"  Yes,  completely  so,  and  I  regret  to  hear  of  it ;  for 
though  the  King  of  France  is  not  my  king,  I  still  pity 
him,  and  feel  for  him  very  much." 

"  Really  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor  I  do.  I  don't  say  as  much  for  his 
brother,  the  Duke  d'Alenqon,  for  there,  I  must  con- 
fess  » 

"We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Duke  d'Alengon  ;  our 
business  is  with  his  majesty " 


462  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  Whose  very  humble  servant  I  have  already  told  you  I 
am/'  answered  Coconnas. 

"  Then,  being  his  servant,  as  you  say,  be  pleased  to  tell 
us  what  you  know  relative  to  a  certain  wax  figure." 

"  Oh  !  what,  we  are  going  over  that  story  again,  are  we? 

"  If  you  have  no  objection/' 

"  Pardi  !  I  on  the  contrary,  I  prefer  it  — go  on." 

"  How  came  this  statue  to  be  found  in  M.  de  la  Mole's 
possession  ?  " 

"  M.  de  la  Mole's  !  No,  no,  you  mean  in  Rent's  posses- 
sion." 

"  Then  you  acknowledge  the  existence  of  such  an 
image  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  whether  it  exists  or  not — I  could  tell  you 
better  if  I  saw  it." 

"  Here  it  is.     Is  it  the  one  you  have  previously  seen  ?  " 

"It  is." 

"  Write  down,"  said  the  judge,  "  that  the  accused  recog- 
nizes the  statue  as  the  one  he  has  heretofore  seen  in  the 
possession  of  M.  de  la  Mole." 

"No,  no,  no!"  interposed  Coconnas,  "do  not  let  us 
mistake  one  another ;  write  that  I  say  it  is  the  same  figure 
I  saw  at  Rene's." 

"  Well,  be  it  so— at  Renews,  and  on  what  day  ?  " 

"  The  only  day  La  Mole  and  myself  ever  were  at  Rent's. 

"  You  admit,  then,  having  been  there  with  M.  de  la 
Mole?" 

"  Why,  I  never  denied  it,  did  I  ?" 

"  Write  down  that  the  accused  admits  having  gone  to 
Rene's  to  work  certain  charms  and  conjurations " 

"  Stop,  if  you  please,  M.  le  President,  and  moderate 
your  enthusiasm  a  little — I  said  no  such  thing." 

"  You  deny  having  gone  to  Rene's  house,  for  the  sake 
of  charms  and  magical  purposes  ?  " 

"  I  do  ;  the  conjuration  that  took  place  was  by  chance, 
and  wholly  unpremeditated." 

"  But  still  it  took  place  ?  " 

*'  Certainly  ;  I  cannot  deny  that  something  resembling 
the  working  of  a  charm  did  occur." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  463 

"  Write  down  that  the  accused  admits  having  gone  to 
Rene's  for  the  sake  of  obtaining  a  charm  against  the  king's 
life." 

"  The  king's  life  !  "  exclaimed  Coconnas  ;  "'tis  a  base 
lie  ;  no  such  charm  was  ever  made  or  sought  for." 

"  There,  gentlemen  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  you  hear  !  "  . 

"  Silence  !  "  vociferated  the  president ;  then,  turning 
towards  the  clerk,  he  said,  "  Against  the  king's  life.  Have 
you  written  it  ?  " 

"No,  no!"  cried  Coconnas,  "I  said  no  such  thing, 
and  then  the  figure  is  not  that  of  a  man,  but  of  a 
woman." 

"What  did  I  tell  you,  gentlemen  ?"  inquired  La  Mole. 

"  M.  de  la  Mole,"  said  the  president,  "  reply  when  you 
are  questioned,  but  do  not  interrupt  the  interrogatory  of 
others." 

"  You  say  that  the  figure  is  that  of  a  female  ?"  resumed 
the  judge. 

"  Of  course  I  do." 

"  Why,  then,  does  it  wear  a  royal  crown  and  mantle  ?  " 

"'Pardieu  I  for  a  very  simple  reason — because  the  figure 
was  meant  for " 

Here  La  Mole  rose,  and  placed  a  finger  on  his  lips. 

"True!"  said  Coconuas,  "I  was  beginning  to  relate 
matters  with  which  these  gentlemen  have  nothing  at  all 
to  do." 

"  You  persist,  then,  in  your  assertion,  that  this  waxen 
image  was  intended  to  represent  a  woman  ?" 

"  Certainly,  I  do  persist  in  stating  the  truth." 

"And  you  refuse  to  say  who  the  woman  was  ?" 

"  A  female  in  my  own  country,"  said  La  Mole,  "  whom 
I  loved,  and  by  whom  I  was  desirous  of  being  beloved." 

"  You  are  not  the  person  interrogated,  M.  de  la  Mole," 
exclaimed  the  president  ;  "either  be  silent,  or  I  shall  be 
obliged  to  have  you  gagged." 

"  Gag  a  gentleman,  and  my  friend,  merely  for  speaking — 
can  it  be  possible  that  I  hear  aright  ? — for  shame  !  for 
shame  !" 

"  Bring  in  Kene  !  "  said  the  attorney-general. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Yes,  yes,  by  all  means,  fetch  Rene,"  said  Coconnas, 
"fetch  him,  pray  ;  we  shall  soon  see  who  is  right  then." 

Rene  entered,  pale,  shrunken,  and  so  altered,  that  the 
two  young  men  seemed  scarce  to  recognize  him.  The 
wretched  old  man  appeared  more  conscience-stricken  and 
bowed  down  by  the  weight  of  the  crime  he  was  about  to 
commit,  than  by  those  he  had  already  perpetrated. 

"  Maitre  Ren6  !"  said  the  judge,  "do  you  know  the 
two  accused  persons  here  present  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  answered  Ren§,  in  a  voice  which  betrayed  his 
emotion. 

"  As  having  seen  them  where  ?  " 

"In  various  places,  but  more  especially  at  my  own 
house." 

"  How  frequently  at  your  house  ?  " 

"  Only  once." 

As  Rene  proceeded,  the  countenance  of  Coconnas  grew 
brighter  ;  La  Mole,  on  the  contrary,  as  though  warned  by 
some  presentiment  of  evil,  looked  graver  than  before. 

"  And  on  what  occasion  did  they  pay  you  a  visit  ?  " 

Rene  seemed  to  hesitate  a  moment,  then  said  : 

"  To  order  me  to  make  a  small  waxen  figure." 

"  Maitre  Ren6,"  interrupted  Coconnas,  "  permit  me  to 
tell  you,  you  are  making  a  little  mistake." 

"  Silence,  I  command  ! "  cried  the  president ;  then, 
turning  towards  Rene,  he  said,  "  and  pray  was  this  figure 
to  represent  a  man  or  woman  ?  " 

"  A  man  ! "  answered  Ren6. 

Coconnas  sprung  up  as  though  he  had  received  an  elec- 
tric shock.  "  A  man,  do  you  say  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  A  man  ! "  responded  Rene,  but  in  so  feeble  a  voice  that 
the  president  could  scarcely  hear  him. 

"  And  why  was  this  statue  clad  in  a  royal  mantle,  with 
a  crown  on  its  head  ?  " 

"  Because,"  replied  Rene,  "it  represented  a  king." 

"  Infamous  liar  !  "  cried  Coconnas,"  perfectly  infuriated. 

"Hold  your  peace,  Coconnas,"  interposed  La  Mole, 
"every  man  has  a  right  to  sell  his  soul  his  own  way;  let 
the  wretched  being  say  what  he  chooses." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  465 

"  Aye,  but  he  has  no  right  to  destroy  the  bodies  of  others 
while  he  barters  his  own  soul ! "  answered  Coconnas. 

"And  what  is  the  signification  of  the  needle  found 
sticking  in  the  heart  of  the  image,  with  a  small  banner 
bearing  the  letter  m  at  the  end  ?  " 

"  The  needle  is  emblematical  of  the  sword  or  dagger,  and 
the  letter  m  stands  for  mart." 

Coconnas  sprung  forward  as  though  to  strangle  Rene,  but 
was  held  back  by  the  guards. 

"  That  will  do  ! "  said  the  officer  ;  "  the  tribunal  is  in 
possession  of  all  it  desires  to  know.  Let  the  prisoners  be 
re-conducted  to  the  waiting-room." 

"  But,"  exclaimed  Coconnas,  "  it  is  quite  impossible  to 
hear  one's  self  accused  of  such  crimes  without  protesting 
against  them." 

"  Protest  as  much  as  you  like,  gentlemen,  no  person 
hinders  you. — Guards,  take  the  prisoners  away." 

The  officials  seized  upon  La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  and  led 
them  away,  each  by  a  separate  door.  The  attorney-general 
then  signed  to  the  man  with  bare  arms,  whom  Coconnas 
had  observed  on  entering,  and  said  : 

"  Do  not  go  away,  my  good  fellow,  there  will  be  work 
for  you  ere  the  night  is  over." 

"  Which  shall  I  begin  with  ?  "said  the  man,  respectfully 
raising  his  cap. 

"  With  that  one  ! "  answered  the  president,  pointing  to 
La  Mole,  whose  shadow  could  just  be  discerned  between 
his  two  guards  ;  then,  approaching  Rene,  who  stood  in  trem- 
bling expection  of  being  ordered  back  to  his  place  of  con- 
finement in  the  Chatelet :  "  You  have  well  spoken,  my 
friend  ;  be  under  no  alarm,  both  the  king  and  the  queen 
shall  be  made  acquainted  that  it  is  to  you  they  will  be  in- 
debted for  coming  at  the  real  truth  of  this  affair." 

But  this  promise,  instead  of  inspiring  Rene  with  fresh 
hope,  seemed  but  to  augment  his  alarm,  and  he  replied 
only  by  a  deep  sigh,  almost  resembling  the  groan  of  one 
in  pain. 


466  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 


CHAPTEK  LVIII. 

THE    TORTURE    OF    THE    BOOT. 

IT  was  only  when  again  conducted  to  his  chamber,  and 
the  door  secured  on  him,  that  Coconnas,  no  longer  sus- 
tained by  the  altercation  with  the  judges,  fell  into  a  train 
of  reflections. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  thought  he,  "  matters  are  going 
against  us.  They  really  wish  to  cut  off  our  heads.  I 
think  it  is  time  to  go  to  the  chapel." 

These  words,  pronounced  in  a  low  tone,  were  cut  short 
by  a  cry  so  shrill,  so  piercing,  that  it  seemed  impossible 
it  could  proceed  from  a  human  being,  for  it  penetrated 
through  the  thick  wall,  and  vibrated  against  the  iron  bars. 

Coconnas  shuddered  with  terror,  although  he  was  so 
brave  that  his  courage  was  nearly  allied  to  that  of  wild 
beasts.  He  stood  motionless,  doubting  whether  what  he 
had  beard  was  not  the  wind,  when  he  heard  it  again  ;  and 
this  time  he  was  convinced  not  only  that  the  voice  was 
human,  but  that  it  was  the  voice  of  La  Mole.  At  this 
voice,  the  Piedmontese  forgot  he  was  himself  a  prisoner 
confined  by  two  doors,  three  gates,  and  a  wall  twelve  feet 
thick  ;  he  rushed  forward,  crying,  "  They  are  murdering 
some  one  here  ! " 

But  he  encountered  the  wall  so  violently,  that  the  shock 
threw  him  back  on  a  stone  bench. 

"  Oh,  they  have  killed  him  ! "  repeated  he ;  "  it  is 
abomim  ble,  and  without  arms/' 

He  looked  about  on  every  side  for  a  weapon. 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  the  same  voice 
that  had  been  before  so  disagreeable  to  him,  said  : 

"  Come,  sir,  the  court  attends  you." 

"  Good  I "  said  Coconnas  3  "  to  hear  my  sentence,  I 
suppose." 

"  Yes,  sir." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  467 

"I  breathe  again — go  on,  sir."  And  he  followed  the 
officer,  who  marched  in  front,  his  black  wand  in  his  hand. 

Spite  of  his  expressed  satisfaction,  Coconnas  glanced 
anxiously  on  either  side.  "  Oh,"  murmured  he/  *  I  do  not 
see  my  worthy  jailer  ;  I  wish  he  was  here." 

On  entering  the  chamber,  Coconnas  perceived  the  at- 
torney-general, who  had  conducted  the  prosecution  with 
most  palpable  animosity,  for  Catherine  had  charged  him 
to  carry  on  the  affair  earnestly.  A  curtain  was  drawn 
back,  and  exposed  the  recesses  of  this  chamber ;  so  terri- 
ble were  these  recesses,  thus  lighted  up,  that  Coconnas  felt 
his  knees  tremble,  and  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  mon  Dieu  !  " 

The  sight  before  him  was  indeed  alarming.  The  por- 
tion of  the  apartment  which  had  been  concealed  during 
the  examination  by  a  curtain,  now  raised,  seemed  like  the 
vestibule  of  hell.  "  Oh  I"  said  Coconnas,  "the  chamber 
of  torture  is  prepared,  and  only  awaits  the  victim.  What 
does  this  mean  ?  " 

"  Kneel  down,  M.  Annibal  de  Ooconnas,"  thundered  a 
voice  ;  "kneel  down,  and  hear  your  sentence." 

And  before  he  had  time  even  to  collect  his  thoughts, 
two  strong  hands  laid  hold  of  him,  and  forced  him  to  his 
knees. 

The  voice  continued  :  "  Sentence  of  the  court  sitting  at 
Vincennes  on  Marc  Annibal  de  Coconnas,  accused  and 
convicted  of  the  crime  of  high  treason,  of  an  attempt  to 
poison,  of  sacrilege  and  magic  against  the  person  of  the 
king,  of  a  conspiracy  against  the  state,  and  of  having 
driven  a  prince  of  the  blood  into  rebellion  by  his  perni- 
cious counsels." 

At  each  fresh  charge,  Coconnas  kept  shaking  his  head 
very  determinately. 

The  judge  continued  :  "  In  consequence  of  which,  the 
aforesaid  Marc  Annibal  de  Coconnas  will  be  taken  from 
prison  to  the  Place  St.-Jean-en-Greve,  to  be  there  de- 
capitated, his  property  confiscated,  his  woods  cut  down, 
his  chateaux  destroyed ;  and  a  post,  with  a  copper-plate 
bearing  an  inscription  recording  his  crime  and  punish- 
ment, planted  there." 


468  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  As  for  my  head,"  said  Coconnas,  "  that  I  know  is  in 
jeopardy  ;  but  as  for  my  woods  and  chateaux,  I  do  not 
fear  for  them  in  the  least,  and  I  defy  all  your  hatchets  and 
pickaxes  to  harm  them." 

"  Silence  !  "  said  the  jud^e,  and  he  continued  : 

"  And,  moreover,  the  aforesaid  Cocoiinas " 

"  What !  "  interrupted  Coconnas,  "  will  they  do  any- 
thing more  after  cutting  my  head  off  ? — that  is  very 
cruel!" 

"  No,  monsieur,"  replied  the  judge,  "  before." 

He  continued  :  "  And  the  aforesaid  Coconnas  will  un- 
dergo, before  the  execution  of  this  sente  ce,  the  extraor- 
dinary question,  consisting  of  ten  wedges." 

Coconnas  sprang  to  his  feet,  fixing  '  is  eyes  with  a 
withering  expression  on  his  judges.  "  For  w^at?  "  cried  he. 

This  torture  was,  in  reality,  ruin  to  Coconnas'  hopes. 
He  would  not  be  taken  to  the  chapel  until  after  the  tor- 
ture, and  the  torture  often  occasioned  death  ;  fo  i<  was 
held  to  be  a  proof  of  cowardice  to  confess,  and  the  torture 
was  therefore  the  more  severe  in  proportion  to  the  patient's 
obstinacy. 

The  judge  made  no  reply,  but  continued.  "  In  order  to 
compel  the  aforesaid  Coconnas  to  avow  who  were  his  ac- 
complices." 

" Mordi !"  cried  Coconnas,  "this  is  infamous — this  is 
cowardice  ! " 

The  judge,  accustomed  to  the  indignant  protestation.. 
of  the  victims,  made  a  sign.  Coconnas,  oci/ed  by  the  legs 
and  arms,  was  overpowered  and  bound  to  tue  rack,  before 
he  could  even  see  who  were  the  authors  of  f  his  violence. 

"  Wretches  !  "  shouted  Coconnas,  straining  the  cords 
that  bound  him  so  violently,  that  his  tormentors  retreated 
in  alarm.  "  Cowards  !  do  your  worst ;  I  defy  you  to  ex- 
tract one  word  from  me.  It  is  not  the  torture  that  can 
make  one  of  my  race  speak." 

"  Greffier,  prepare  to  write,"  said  the  judge. 

"  Yes,  prepare  to  write,"  cried  Coconnas  ;  "  and  if  you 
write  all  I  tell  you,  yon  scoundrel,  you  will  have  something 
to  do." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  469 

"  Will  you  confess  ?  "  asked  the  judge. 

"  Never  !" 

"  You  had  better  reflect  whilst  it  is  yet  time.  Execu- 
tioner, make  ready. " 

At  these  words,  a  man  holding  a  cord  in  his  hand  ad- 
vanced towards  him.  It  was  Maitre  Caboche.  Caboche, 
without  moving  a  muscle  of  his  face,  or  affecting  to  rec- 
ognize Coconnas,  placed  two  planks  between  his  legs, 
then  two  more  outside,  and  bound  them  together  with  a 
cord. 

This  formed  what  was  called  the  "  boot." 

In  the  "ordinary"  question,  six  wedges  were  used, 
which  crashed  the  flesh  :  in  the  "  extraordinary  "question 
ten  were  employed,  which  not  only  crushed  the  flesh,  but 
broke  the  bones  also. 

Maitre  Caboche  introduced  the  wedge  between  the 
planks,  and  then,  with  his  mallet  in  his  hand,  looked  at 
the  judge. 

"  Will  you  confess  ?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"  Never  ! "  returned  Coconnas,  although  he  felt  a  cold 
damp  all  over  his  brow. 

"  Proceed,"  said  the  judge. 

Caboche  raised  his  heavy  mallet,  and  struck  a  tremen- 
dous blow  on  the  wedge.  Coconnas  did  not  utter  the 
slightest  sound  at  this  first  wedge,  which  usually  extorted 
a  groan  from  the  most  resolute.  On  the  contrary,  his 
countenance  expressed  the  greatest  wonder,  and  he  gazed 
in  astonishment  at  Caboche,  who,  his  arm  raised,  stood 
ready  to  repeat  the  blow. 

"  What  was  your  intention  in  concealing  yourself  in  the 
forest  ?"  demanded  the  judge. 

"  To  enjoy  the  fresh  air." 

"  Proceed,"  said  the  judge. 

Caboche  struck  again.  Coconnas  did  not  stir,  but  kept 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  executioner  with  the  same  expression 
of  surprise.  The  judge  frowned. 

"  He  is  indeed  determined  ! "  muttered  he  ;  "  has  the 
wedge  entered,  maitre  ?" 

Caboche  stooped,  as  if  to  examine  it,  and  whispered 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Coconnas,  "  Cry  out !  cry  out  1"  Then  rising,  "Up  to 
the  head,  sir,"  said  he  to  the  judge. 

"  Second  wedge  I"  was  the  reply. 

The  words  of  Caboche  explained  all  to  Coconnas ;  the 
worthy  executioner  was  rendering  him  the  greatest  service 
in  his  power :  he  was  sparing  him  not  only  pain,  but, 
moreover,  the  shame  of  a  confession,  by  driving,  in  place 
of  oak  wedges,  wedges  of  leather,  with  the  top  only  of 
wood  ;  and  further,  he  thus  left  him  all  his  strength  to 
mount  the  scaffold  manfully. 

"  Oh,  excellent  Caboche  !  "  muttered  Coconnas,  "  fear 
nothing  ;  I  will  cry  out  loud  enough." 

Caboche  had  introduced  a  second  wedge,  larger  than  the 
first,  and,  at  a  sign  from  the  judge,  struck  as  if  he  were 
going  to  demolish  the  donjon  of  Vincennes  at  a  blow. 

"Ah!  ah! — hou  !  hou!"  roared  Coconnas,  "you  are 
breaking  my  bones  ! " 

"  Ah,"  said  the  judge,  "  the  second  seems  to  take  effect. 
What  were  you  doing  in  the  forest  ?  " 

"  I  have  already  told  you." 

"  Proceed." 

"  Confess,"  whispered  Caboche. 

"What?" 

"Anything — only  confess." 

And  he  dealt  another  blow  on  the  wedge. 

"Oh,  oh!"  cried  Coconnas,  "you  wish  to  know  by 
whose  order  I  was  in  the  forest  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  By  the  order  of  M.  d'Alei^on." 

"  Write  that,"  said  the  judge. 

"  If  I  laid  a  snare  for  the  King  of  Navarre,"  continued 
Coconnas,  "I  only  obeyed  my  master's  orders." 

"  Ah,  you  denounced  me,  tallow-face  ! "  thought  Cocon- 
nas ;  "  I  will  be  even  with  you." 

And  he  related  all  the  visits  of  Franqois  to  the  King  of 
Navarre,  the  interviews  between  De  Mouy  and  D'Alen9on, 
and  the  history  of  the  red  mantle.  He  gave  precise,  ter- 
rible, incontestable  evidence  againct  "O'Alenpon,  making 
it  seem  all  the  while  as  though  his  statements  were  only 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  471 

extorted  from  him  by  the  pain,  he  yelled,  screamed,  and 
foamed  so  naturally  ;  and  the  judge  at  last  became  terri- 
fied himself  at  having  to  record  details  that  so  fearfully 
compromised  a  prince  of  the  blood. 

"  Ah/'  said  Caboche,  "  this  gentleman  gives  the  greffier 
enough  to  do.  What  would  he  have  said,  if  the  wedges 
had  been  of  wood  ?  " 

The  judge  retired,  excusing  Coconnas  the  other  wedges 
in  consequence  of  his  confession,  and  Caboche  was  left 
alone  with  Coconnas. 

"  Well/'  said  he,  "how  do  you  find  yourself,  sir  ?" 

"  Ah,  excellent  Caboche,  I  will  never  forget  what  you 
have  done  for  me  ! " 

"  You  are  right ;  for  if  they  knew  what  I  have  done  for 
you,  I  should  soon  take  your  place,  and  they  would  not 
amuse  me  with  leathern  wedges." 

"  But  how  came  you  to  think " 

"  I  will  tell  you/'  said  Caboche,  twisting,  for  the  sake 
of  appearances,  bandages  of  bloody  linen  about  Coconnas' 
legs  ;  "  I  knew  you  were  arrested,  that  Queen  Catherine 
wished  to  kill  you,  and  I  guessed  you  would  be  put  to  the 
question,  and  I  took  my  measures  accordingly." 

"  At  the  risk  of  what  might  happen  to  yourself  ?  " 

"  Sir/'  replied  Caboche,  "  you  are  the  only  gentleman 
who  has  ever  given  me  his  hand,  and  I  wished  to  prove  to 
you  that,  executioner  as  I  am,  I  have  a  heart :  you  shall 
see  how  I  will  perform  my  office  to-morrow/' 

"To-morrow?" 

"Yes." 

"  What  office  ?  " 

Caboche  stared. 

"  Have  you  forgotten  the  sentence  ?  " 

"  Ah,  true,  I  had  forgotten  all  about  that." 

He  had  not  forgotten  it,  but  he  was  thinking  of  the 
chapel,  the  knife  concealed  beneath  the  napkin,  of  Henri- 
ette  and  the  queen,  of  the  door  of  the  sacristry,  the  two 
horses  that  awaited  them  ;  of  liberty,  of  the  fresh  air,  and 
happiness  and  security  beyond  the  bounds  of  France. 

"Now,"  said  Caboche,  "  I  must  get  you  from  the  rack 


172  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

to  the  litter.     Do  not  forget  both  your  legs  -are  broken, 
and  that  the  least  movement  pains  you." 

"  Ah  !    oh  ! "    cried  Coconnas,  as  the  two  assistants 
advanced. 

"Take  courage/'  said  Caboche  ;  "if  you  cry  so  now, 
what  will  you  do  presently  ?  " 

"  Maitre  Caboche,"  replied  Coconnas,  "  I  pray  you  lift 
me  yourself,  as  I  do  not  wish  your  two  estimable  acolytes 
to  touch  me." 

"  Place  the  litter  near  the  rack/'  said  Caboche. 

The  two  assistants  obeyed. 

Caboche  then  raised  Coconnas  in  his  arms  as  if  he  had 
been  an  infant,  and  placed  him  on  the  litter. 

The  jailer  then  appeared  with  a  lantern. 

"  To  the  chapel,"  said  he. 

The  bearers  and  Coconnas  started,  after  Coconnas  had 
again  given  his  hand  to  Caboche. 

The  former  grasp  had  been  too  useful  to  him  not  to  in- 
duce him  to  repeat  it. 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

THE    CHAPEL. 

THE  mournful  cortege  crossed,  in  perfect  silence,  the 
two  drawbridges  of  the  fortress  and  the  courtyard  which 
leads  to  the  chapel,  through  the  windows  of  which  a  pale 
light  colored  the  figures  of  the  men  in  red  robes. 

Coconnas  eagerly  breathed  the  night  air,  although  it 
was  heavy  with  rain.  He  looked  at  the  darkness,  and  re- 
joiced to  sev3  that  everything  conspired  to  favor  the  flight 
of  himself  and  his  companion.  On  entering  the  chapel 
he  saw  in  the  choir,  and  at  three  paces  from  the  altar,  a 
mass  of  something  wrapped  in  a  large  white  mantle.  It 
was  La  Mole. 

"  Since  we  are  once  more  reunited,"  said  Coconnas, 
in  a  voice  of  affected  languor,  "  carry  me  to  my  friend." 

La  Mole  was  gloomy  and  pale  ;   his  head  reclined 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  473 

against  the  marble  wall,  and  his  black  hair,  bathed  with  pro- 
fuse perspiration,  which  gave  to  his  countenance  the  pale- 
ness of  ivory,  seemed  to  have  preserved  the  form  it  had 
assumed  after  having  been  stiffened  on  his  head  with  the 
pain. 

On  a  signal  from  the  turnkey,  the  two  valets  went  to  seek 
the  priest  whom  Coconnas  had  asked  for. 

This  was  the  signal  agreed  upon. 

Coconnas  followed  them  with  his  eyes  with  anxiety  ;  but 
his  was  not  the  only  ardent  look  fixed  on  them.  Scarcely 
had  they  disappeared  than  two  women  rushed  from  behind 
the  altar,  and  hastened  rapidly  towards  the  choir. 

Marguerite  hurried  towards  La  Mole  and  seized  him  in 
her  arms.  La  Mole  uttered  a  piercing  shriek — one  of 
those  cries  which  Coconnas  had  heard  in  his  dungeon. 

"  Mon  Dieu  !  what  ails  thee,  dear  La  Mole  ? "  in- 
quired Marguerite.  "  Oh,  Heaven  !  you  are  all  blood  !  " 

Coconnas,  who  had  also  rushed  towards  the  altar,  taken 
up  the  dagger,  and  had  his  arm  round  Henriette's  waist, 
turned  suddenly. 

"  Get  up/'  said  Marguerite  ;  "  get  up,  I  entreat  you  ! 
You  see  the  moment  has  arrived/' 

A  terrible  smile  of  grief  passed  over  La  Mole's  pale  lips, 
which  seemed  as  though  they  would  never  smile  again. 

"Beloved  queen  !"  said  the  young  man,  "you  have 
calculated  without  Catherine,  and  consequently  without 
a  crime.  I  have  been  put  to  the  torture  ;  my  bones  are 
broken,  all  my  body  is  one  wound,  and  the  effort  I  make 
at  this  moment  to  press  my  lips  upon  your  forehead  causes 
me  agony  worse  than  death." 

And  as  he  spoke,  with  great  exertion,  and  ghastly  pale, 
La  Mole  pressed  his  lips  on  the  queen's  brow. 

"Torture  !"  cried  Coconnas  ;  "and  so  did  I  undergo 
it.  But  the  executioner,  then,  did  not  do  for  you  what 
he  did  for  me  ?  "  And  Coconnas  told  all. 

"  Ah  ! "  replied  La  Mole,  "  that  is  easily  explained. 
You  gave  him  your  hand  on  the  day  of  our  visit  ;  I  forgot 
that  all  men  were  brothers,  and  was  disdainful.  God 
punishes  me  for  my  pride.  God  be  praised  1  " 


474  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

La  Mole  clasped  his  hands.  Coconnas  and  the  two 
ladies  exchanged  a  look  of  indescribable  horror. 

"  Come,  come,"  said  the  jailer,  who  had  been  to  the 
door  to  listen,  and  had  returned  ;  "  come  along  I  Do  not 
lose  any  time,  my  dear  M.  de  Coconnas.  Give  me  my  blow 
with  the  dagger,  and  manage  it  like  a  worthy,  kind  gentle- 
man, for  they  will  soon  be  here." 

Marguerite  was  kneeling  beside  La  Mole,  like  one  of  the 
reclining  figures  on  a  monument. 

"  Come,  my  dear  friend,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  courage  ! 
I  am  strong,  and  will  carry  you.  I  can  place  you  on  your 
horse,  or  hold  you  on  my  own,  if  you  could  keep  yourself 
erect  in  the  saddle.  Come,  let  us  go — let  us  go  !  You 
understand  what  the  good  fellow  says  :  our  lives  are  at 
stake." 

La  Mole  made  a  superhuman,  a  sublime  effort. 

"True,"  he  said,  "your  life  is  at  stake,"  and  he  tried 
to  rise. 

Annibal  placed  his  arms  under  him  and  raised  him  up. 
La  Mole,  during  this  time,  had  only  uttered  a  low  moan- 
ing ;  but  at  the  moment  when  Coconnas  let  him  go,  to  speak 
to  the  turnkey,  and  when  the  sufferer  was  no  longer  sup- 
ported but  by  the  arms  of  two  women,  his  legs  bent  under 
him,  and  in  spite  of  Marguerite's  efforts,  the  tears  gushing 
from  her,  he  fell  like  a  mass,  and  the  piercing  shriek  he 
could  no  longer  repress  made  the  chapel  echo  through 
all  its  gloomy  vaults. 

"You  see,"  said  La  Mole,  in  an  agony  of  distress  ;  "  you 
see,  my  beloved,  so  leave  me — leave  me  with  one  last  adieu. 
I  have  not  revealed  one  word,  Marguerite.  Your  secret 
is  enveloped  in  my  love,  and  will  die  with  me.  Adieu, 
dearest,  adieu  ! " 

Marguerite,  almost  lifeless  herself,  threw  her  arms  round 
that  dear  and  beautiful  head,  and  imprinted  on  his  brow 
a  kiss  that  was  almost  holy. 

"  You,  Annibal,"  said  La  Mole  ;  "  you  who  have  been 
spared  these  agonies,  who  are  young  and  may  escape,  fly, 
fly  I  my  dearest  friend,  and  give  me  the  consolation,  when 
dying,  to  know  that  you  are  in  safety." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  475 

"  The  hour  is  passing,"  exclaimed  the  jailer.  "  Come, 
gentlemen,  make  haste  !  " 

Henriette  endeavored  to  lead  Annibal  gently  away ; 
whilst  Marguerite  was  on  her  knees  before  La  Mole,  her 
hair  dishevelled,  and  eyes  overflowing  with  tears. 

"  Fly,  Annibal  1 "  repeated  La  Mole  ;  "  fly,  and  do  not 
afford  our  enemies  the  joyful  spectacle  of  the  death  of  two 
innocent  men." 

Coconnas  quietly  disengaged  himself  from  Henriette, 
who  was  leading  him  to  the  door,  and  with  a  gesture  so 
solemn  that  it  was  majestic,  said : 

"  Madame,  first  give  the  five  hundred  crowns  we  have 
promised  to  this  man/' 

"  Here  they  are,"  said  Henriette. 

Then,  turning  towards  La  Mole  and  shaking  his  head 
sorrowfully,  he  said  : 

"  As  for  you,  La  Mole,  yon  have  done  me  an  injury,  by 
thinking  for  one  moment  that  I  would  quit  you.  Have  I 
not  sworn  to  live  and  die  with  you  ?  But  you  are  so  great 
a  sufferer,  that  I  forgive  you." 

And  he  seated  himself  with  a  resolute  air  near  his  friend, 
towards  whojn  he  leaned  his  head,  and  whose  forehead  he 
touched  with  his  lips. 

Then  he  drew  gently,  gently  as  a  mother  would  a  child, 
the  head  of  his  dear  friend  towards  him,  until  it  glided 
from  the  wall,  and  reposed  itself  calmly  on  his  breast. 

Marguerite  was  gloomy  :  she  had  picked  up  the  poniard 
which  Coconnas  had  let  fall. 

"  Oh,  my  beloved  one  1 "  cried  La  Mole,  extending  his 
hands  as  he  comprehended  her  purpose,  "  do  not  forget 
that  I  die  in  order  to  destroy  the  slightest  suspicion  of 
our  love." 

"  "What,  then,  can  I  do  for  you,"  exclaimed  Marguerite, 
in  despair,  "  if  I  must  not  die  with  you  ?" 

"  You  may,"  replied  La  Mole;  "you  may  render  my 
death  sweet,  and  so  that  I  may  in  a  manner  meet  it  with 
a  smile." 

Marguerite  clasped  her  hands,  and  looked  inquiringly 
at  him. 

DUMAS — VOL.  III. — 21 


476  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Do  you  remember  the  evening,  Marguerite,  when  in 
exchange  for  the  life  I  offered  you  then,  and  to-day  lay 
down  for  you,  you  made  me  a  secret  promise  ?  " 

Marguerite  started. 

"  Ah,  you  do  remember  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "  for  you 
shudder." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  remember/'  said  Marguerite;  "and  on 
my  soul,  Hyacinthe,  I  will  keep  that  promise." 

Marguerite  extended  her  hand  towards  the  altar,  as  if  a 
second  time  to  call  on  God  to  witness  her  oath. 

La  Mole's  face  lighted  up  as  if  the  vaulted  roof  of  the 
chapel  had  opened. 

"  They  are  coming  ! "  exclaimed  the  jailer. 

Marguerite  uttered  a  cry,  and  hastened  towards  La 
Mole,  but  for  fear  of  increasing  his  agony,  she  paused  all 
trembling  before  him. 

Henriette  pressed  her  lips  on  (Joconnas*  brow,  and  said 
to  him  : 

"  Dearest  Annibal,  I  understand  you,  and  I  am  proud  of 
you.  I  know  the  heroism  that  makes  you  die,  and  I  love 
you  for  that  heroism.  Before  God,  I  will  always  love  you 
more  than  anything  living ;  and  what  Marguerite  has 
sworn  to  do  for  la  Mole  (although  I  know  not  what  it  is) 
I  will  also  do  for  you." 

And  she  held  out  her  hand  to  Marguerite. 

"  Well  said  :  now  heaven  be  with  you  ! "  replied  Co- 
connas. 

"  Before  yon  leave  me,  dearest,"  said  La  Mole,  "  one 
last  favor  ;  give  me  some  last  souvenir,  that  I  may  kiss  it 
as  I  mount  the  scaffold. " 

"  Ah,  yes,"  cried  Marguerite,  "  here,  take  this  !  " — and 
she  untied  from  her  neck  a  small  reliquary  of  gold,  fast- 
ened to  a  chain  of  the  same  metal. 

"  Here,"  she  said,  "  is  a  holy  relic  which  I  have  worn 
from  my  childhood ;  my  mother  put  it  round  my  neck 
when  I  was  very  little  and  she  still  loved  me.  It  was 
given  by  our  uncle,  Pope  Clement,  and  has  never  quitted 
me.  Take  it  !  " 

La  Mole  took  it,  and  kissed  it  eagerly. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  477 

"  They  are  opening  the  door,"  said  the  jailer.  "  Fly, 
ladies,  fly  ! " 

The  two  women  hastened  behind  the  altar,  and  disap- 
peared at  the  moment  the  priest  entered. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

THE   PLACE   SAIlST-JEAN-Ellir-GBEVE. 

IT  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  crowd  was 
waiting,  dense  and  riotous,  in  the  squares,  the  streets,  and 
the  quays. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  tumbril,  the  same  in 
which  the  two  friends  after  their  duel  had  been  conveyed 
half  dead  to  the  Louvre,  had  quitted  Vincennes,  crossed 
the  Rue  Saint  Antoine  slowly,  and  on  its  route,  the  spec- 
tators, so  huddled  together  that  they  crushed  one  another, 
seemed  like  statues,  with  their  eyes  fixed  and  their  months 
open  in  wonderment. 

There  was  this  day  a  heart-rending  spectacle  offered 
by  the  queen-mother  to  all  the  people  of  Paris. 

In  the  tumbril  we  have  mentioned  as  making  its  slow 
way  from  Vincennes,  were  lying  on  some  straw  two  young 
men,  bareheaded  and  entirely  clothed  in  black,  leaning 
against  each  other.  Coconnas  supported  on  his  knees  La 
Mole,  whose  head  hung  over  the  sides  of  the  tumbril,  and 
whose  eyes  wandered  vaguely  around  him. 

The  crowd,  eager  to  stare  with  greedy  gaze,  even  to  the 
bottom  of  the  vehicle,  pressed,  drove,  heaved,  lifted  itself 
upon  stones,  clung  to  angles  of  jfche  walls,  and  appeared 
satisfied  when  it  contrived  to  gain  a  look  at  the  two 
bodies  which  were  going  from  suffering  to  destruction. 

It  was  rumored  that  La  Mole  would  die  without  having 
confessed  one  of  the  charges  imputed  to  him  ;  whilst,  on 
the  contrary,  Coconnas,  it  was  asserted,  could  not  endure 
the  torture,  and  had  disclosed  everything. 

So  there  were  cries  on  all  sides  : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Look  at  the  red-haired  one  !  It  was  he  who  con- 
fessed !  It  was  he  who  owned  everything  !  He  is  the 
coward  who  caused  the  death  of  the  other,  who  is  a  brave 
fellow,  and  would  not  confess  anything  !  " 

The  two  young  men  perfectly  understood  this  ;  the  one 
the  praises,  and  the  other  the  reproaches,  which  accom- 
panied their  funeral  march  ;  and  whilst  La  Mole  pressed 
the  hands  of  his  friend,  a  sublime  expression  of  disdain 
overspread  the  features  of  the  Piedmontese,  who  from  the 
foul  tumbril  gazed  on  the  stupid  mob  as  if  he  were  look- 
ing down  from  a  triumphal  car. 

Misfortune  had  done  its  heavenly  work  ;  had  ennobled 
the  countenance  of  Coconnaa,  as  death  was  about  to  render 
divine  his  soul. 

"  Are  we  nearly  there  ?  "  asked  La  Mole  ;  "  for  I  can 
endure  this  no  longer,  my  dear  friend,  and  I  feel  as  if 
I  should  faint." 

"  Eouse  thee — rouse  thee,  La  Mole  !  We  arfl  passing 
by  the  Eue  Tizon  and  the  Hue  Cloche-Percee.  Look, 
look!" 

"  Oh,  raise  me — raise  me,  that  I  may  once  again  be- 
hold that  blissful  abode  ! " 

Coconnas  touched  the  executioner  on  the  shoulder,  as 
he  sat  on  the  tumbril  and  drove  the  horse. 

"  Maitre,"  he  said,  "do  us  the  kindness  to  pause  a  mo- 
ment in  front  of  the  Eue  Tizon." 

Caboche  bowed  his  head  in  token  of  assent,  and  stopped. 

La  Mole  raised  himself  with  a  vast  effort,  aided  by  Co- 
connas, and  gazed,  with  tearful  eyes,  at  the  small  house, 
now  closed  and  silent  as  the  tomb  :  a  groan  burst  from 
his  overcharged  breast,  and  he  said,  in  a  low  voice  : 

"  Adieu,  adieu — youth,  love,  life  !  " 

And  his  head  fell  on  his  breast. 

"  Courage,"  said  Coconnas  ;  "  we  may,  perchance  find 
all  this  above  !  " 

"Do you  think  so  ?"  murmured  La  Mole. 

"  I  think  so,  because  the  priest  told  me  so,  and  more 
especially  because  I  hope  so.  But  do  not  faint,  my  dear 
friend,  or  these  wretches  will  laugh  at  us." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  4.79 

Caboche  heard  these  last  words,  and,  whipping  his  horse 
with  one  hand,  he  extended  the  other — unseen  by  any  one 
— to  Coconnas.  It  contained  a  small  sponge  saturated 
with  a  powerful  stimulant,  which  after  having  smelt  and 
rubbed  over  his  brow,  La  Mole  felt  himself  revived  and 
reanimated,  and  he  kissed  the  reliquary  suspended  from 
his  neck. 

When  they  reached  the  quay  they  saw  the  scaffold,  which 
was  elevated  considerably  above  the  ground. 

"  My  friend,"  said  La  Mole,  "  1  would  fain  die  first." 

Coconnas  again  touched  the  headsman's  shoulder. 

"  Maitre,"  said  Coconnas,  "  my  friend  has  suffered  more 
than  I  have,  and  he  says  he  should  suffer  all  the  more  to 
see  me  die  first  ;  and  if  I  were  to  die  before  him,  he  would 
have  no  one  to  support  him  on  the  scaffold." 

"Good,  good  !"  said  Caboche,  wiping  away  a  tear  with 
the  back  of  his  hand  ;  "  be  easy,  it  shall  be  as  you  desire." 

"  And  with  one  blow,  eh  ?  "  said  the  Piedmontese,  in  a 
low  tone. 

"Yes,  with  one  blow  !" 

"  'Tis  well!" 

The  tumbril  stopped.  They  had  arrived.  Coconnas 
put  on  his  hat. 

A  murmur  like  that  of  the  waves  of  the  sea  reached  the 
ears  of  La  Mole.  He  tried  to  rise,  but  his  strength  failed 
him,  and  Caboche  and  Coconnas  were  compelled  to  sup- 
port him  under  his  arms. 

The  place  was  paved  with  heads,  and  the  steps  of  the 
Hotel  de  Ville  seemed  an  amphitheater  peopled  with  spec- 
tators ;  each  window  was  filled  with  animated  countenances. 

When  they  saw  the  handsome  young  man  who  could  no 
longer  support  himself  on  his  legs,  bruised  and  broken, 
make  an  effort  to  reach  the  scaffold,  a  vast  sound  was 
heard,  like  a  cry  of  universal  desolation  ;  the  men  groaned, 
and  the  women  uttered  plaintive  sighs. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  grandest  dons  at  the  court,"  said 
one. 

"  How  handsome  he  is  !  How  pale  he  looks  ?  "  said  the 
women.  "  He  is  the  one  who  would  not  confess  !" 


480  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  My  dearest  friend,"  said  La  Mole,  "  I  cannot  support 
myself.  Carry  me  ! " 

"  Stay  a  moment,"  replied  Coconnas. 

He  made  a  sign  to  the  executioner,  who  moved  aside  ; 
then,  stooping,  he  lifted  La  Mole  in  his  arms  as  if  he  had 
been  an  infant,  and  went  up  the  steps  to  the  scaffold  with 
unfaltering  foot,  bore  his  burden  firmly  on  to  the  platform, 
and  put  him  down  amidst  the  shoutings  and  applause  of 
the  vast  multitude. 

Coconnas  returned  the  greeting  by  raising  his  hat  from 
his  head,  and  then  threw  it  down  on  the  scaffold  beside 
him. 

"Look  round,"  said  La  Mole;  "do  you  see  them  any- 
where ?  " 

Coconnas  glanced  deliberately  around  him  and,  when  his 
eyes  reached  a  certain  spot,  paused.  Then,  without  remov- 
ing his  look,  he  touched  his  friend  on  the  shoulder,  say- 
ing : 

"  Look,  look,  at  the  window  of  that  little  tower  !" 

With  his  other  hand  he  pointed  out  to  La  Mole  the 
small  building  which  still  exists  at  the  coroer  of  the  Kne 
de  la  Vannerie  and  the  Eue  Monton — a  remnant  of  past 
ages.  Two  females,  clothed  in  black,  were  leaning  on 
each  other,  somewhat  retired  from  the  window. 

"Ah  ! "  said  La  Mole,  "I  had  but  one  fear,  and  that 
was  to  die  without  again  seeing  her.  I  have  beheld  her 
again,  and  now  I  can  die." 

And,  with  his  eyes  steadfastly  fixed  on  the  small  window, 
he  lifted  the  reliquary  to  his  lips,  and  covered  it  with 
kisses. 

Coconnas  saluted  the  two  women  with  as  much  grace  as 
if  he  were  in  a  drawing-room,  and  they  replied  to  the  two 
devoted  men  by  shaking  their  handkerchiefs  bathed  in 
tears. 

Caboche  then  touched  Coconnas  on  his  shoulder,  and 
looking  at  him  very  significantly,  the  Piedmontese  re- 
plied : 

"  Yes,  yes." 

Then,  turning  to  La  Mole,  he  said  to  him  : 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  481 

"  One  last  embrace,  dear  friend,  and  die  like  a  man  ! 
That,  beloved  La  Mole,  will  be  no  hardship  for  you,  who 
are  so  brave." 

"  Ah,"  replied  La  Mole,  "  there  will  be  no  merit  in  me 
to  die  well,  suffering  the  torments  I  do." 

The  priest  approached,  and  extended  the  crucifix  to  La 
Mole,  who  smiled,  and  pointed  to  the  reliquary  he  held  in 
his  hand. 

"  No  matter,"  replied  the  priest,  "  still  pray  for  strength 
from  Him  who  suffered  what  you  are  about  to  suffer." 

La  Mole  kissed  the  feet  of  the  crucifix. 

"  I  am  ready,"  said  La  Mole. 

"  Can  you  hold  your  head  upright?"  asked  Caboche, 
coming  with  his  drawn  sword  behind  La  Mole,  who  was 
now  on  his  knees. 

"  I  hope  so,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Then  all  will  go  well." 

"  But  you,"  said  La  Mole,  "  will  not  forget  what  I  re- 
quested of  you  ;  this  reliquary  will  open  the  doors  for 
you." 

"  Make  yourself  quite  easy  ;  and  now  try  and  hold  your 
head  perfectly  straight." 

La  Mole  held  his  neck  erect,  and  looking  towards  the 
little  tower,  said  : 

"  Adieu,  Marguerite  !  bless " 

He  could  not  finish  ;  with  one  stroke  of  his  keen  and 
flashing  sword,  Caboche  severed  from  the  body  the  head 
of  La  Mole,  which  rolled  to  Coconnas'  feet. 

The  body  fell  gently  back,  as  if  going  to  rest. 

"  Thanks,  good  friend,  thanks,"  said  Coconnas,  extend- 
ing his  hand  for  the  third  time  to  the  executioner. 

One  cry  arose  from  the  lips  of  a  thousand  human  beings  ; 
and  amongst  them,  Coconnas  fancied  he  heard  a  shriek 
more  piercing  than  all  the  rest. 

"  My  son,"  said  the  priest  to  Coconnas,  "  have  you  noth- 
ing you  would  confess  to  God  ?  " 

" Mafoi!  no  father,"  replied  the  Piedmontese,  "all  I 
had  to  say,  I  said  yesterday  to  you." 

Then,  turning  to  Caboche,  he  said : 


4:82  MAEGUEEITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Now  then,  headsman,  my  last  friend,  one  more  ser- 
vice!" 

Before  he  knelt,  he  turned  on  the  multitude  a  look  so 
calm,  so  full  of  resignation,  that  a  murmur  of  admiration 
came  to  soothe  his  ear  and  flatter  his  pride.  Then,  taking 
in  his  hands  the  head  of  his  dear  friend,  and  impressing  a 
last  kiss  on  the  purple  lips,  he  gave  one  more  look  towards 
the  little  tower,  and  kneeling  down,  still  holding  the  be- 
leved  head  in  his  hands,  he  cried  :  "  Now  !  " 

He  had  scarcely  uttered  the  word  than  Caboche,  with  a 
sweep  of  his  arm,  had  cut  his  head  from  his  body. 

"  It  is  time  it  was  all  over,"  said  the  worthy  creature, 
trembling  all  over,  "  poor,  poor  fellow  !  " 

He  took  with  some  difficulty  from  the  clenched  fingers 
of  La  Mole  the  reliquary  of  gold,  and  threw  his  cloak  over 
the  sad  remains,  which  the  tumbril  had  yet  to  convey  to 
his  sinister  abode. 

The  spectacle  was  over  :  the  crowd  dispersed. 


CHAPTER    LXI. 
THE  HEADSMAN'S  TOWER. 

NIGHT  spread  her  mantle  over  the  city,  still  shuddering 
tinder  the  recollection  of  this  spectacle,  the  details  of 
which  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  and  made  sorrowful 
each  family  repast. 

In  contrast  to  the  city,  which  was  silent  and  mournful, 
the  Louvre  was  joyous,  noisy,  and  illuminated.  There 
was  a  grand  fe'te  at  the  palace — a  fete  commanded  by 
Charles  IX.  ;  a  f6te,  which  he  had  ordered  for  that  even- 
ing at  the  same  time  he  had  ordered  the  execution  for 
the  morning. 

The  Queen  of  Navarre  had  received  on  the  previous 
evening  the  king's  orders  to  be  present,  and  in  the  hope 
that  La  Mole  and  Coconnas  would  escape  in  the  night,  in 
consequence  of  all  measures  being  taken  for  their  safety, 
she  had  promised  her  brother  to  comply  with  his  desire. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

But  when  she  had  lost  all  hope,  after  the  terrible  scene 
in  the  chapel — after  she  had,  from  a  last  impulse  of  that 
deep  love  which  was  the  most  decided  and  enduring  of  her 
life,  been  present  at  the  execution,  she  had  firmly  resolved 
that  neither  prayers  nor  threats  should  compel  her  to  go  to  a 
boisterous  festival  at  the  Louvre  the  same  day  on  which 
she  had  witnessed  so  terrible  a  scene  at  the  Gr^ve. 

The  king  had  on  this  day  exhibited  another  proof  of 
that  power  of  will,  which  no  one,  perhaps,  ever  displayed 
more  energetically  than  Charles  IX. 

In  bed  for  a  fortnight,  weak  as  a  dying  man,  ghastly  as 
a  corpse,  he  yet  arose  at  five  o'clock,  and  was  attired  in  his 
gayest  habiliments,  although  during  his  toilette  he  had 
fainted  three  times. 

About  eight  o'clock  he  inquired  after  his  sister,  if  any 
one  had  seen  her,  and  if  they  knew  where  she  was.  No 
one  could  answer  satisfactorily,  for  the  queen  had  gone  to 
her  apartments  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  refused  admit- 
tance to  everybody. 

But  there  was  no  refusal  for  Charles.  Leaning  on  the 
arm  of  M.  de  Nancey,  he  proceeded  to  the  Queen  of 
Navarre's  apartments  and  entered  suddenly  by  the  secret 
door. 

Although  he  expected  a  melancholy  sight,  and  had  pre- 
pared for  it,  that  which  he  beheld  was  even  more  distress- 
ing than  he  had  anticipated. 

Marguerite,  half  dead,  was  lying  on  a  sofa,  her  head 
buried  in  the  cushions,  neither  weeping  nor  praying  ;  ever 
since  her  return  she  had  been  groaning  in  bitterest  anguish. 

At  the  other  corner  of  the  chamber,  Henriette  de  Nevers, 
that  daring  bold  woman,  lay  stretched  on  the  carpet,  with- 
out consciousness. 

Charles  desired  Nancey  to  await  him  in  the  corridor,  and 
entered,  pale  and  trembling. 

Neither  of  the  women  saw  him  :  (rillonne,  alone,  who 
was  at  the  moment  endeavoring  to  revive  Henriette,  rose 
on  her  knee  and  looked  terrified  at  the  king,  who  made  a 
sign  with  his  hand,  whereupon  she  rose,  curtseyed  rever- 
entially, and  retired. 


484  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

Charles  then  approached  Marguerite,  looked  at  her  for 
a  moment  in  silence,  and  then  in  a  tone  of  which  his  harsh 
voice  might  have  been  thought  incapable,  said  : 

"  Mar  got,  my  sister  !  " 

The  queen  started,  and  turned  round. 

"  Your  majesty  ?  "  she  said. 

"  Come,  come,  sister  dear,  rouse  yourself." 

Marguerite  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles  ;    "I  know  all — but  listen  to  me." 

The  queen  made  a  sign  that  she  listened. 

"  You  promised  me  to  come  to  the  ball,"  said  Charles. 

"I  ?"  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  Yes  :  and  after  your  promise,  you  are  expected  ;  and 
therefore,  if  you  do  not  come,  everybody  will  be  surprised 
at  not  seeing  you." 

"Excuse  me,  brother,"  replied  Marguerite;  "you  see 
how  very  ill  I  am." 

"Exert  yourself." 

Marguerite  endeavored  for  a  moment  to  summon  courage 
and  then  suddenly  giving  way  again,  sank  on  her  sofa. 

"  No,  no,  I  cannot  go,"  she  said. 

Charles  took  her  hand,  seated  himself  beside  her  on  the 
sofa  and  said  : 

4t  You  have  just  lost  a  dear  friend,  Margot,  I  know  full 
well.  But  look  at  me — have  not  I  lost  all  my  friends,  and, 
moreover,  my  mother  ?  You  have  time  to  bewail  as  you 
now  do ;  but  I,  at  the  moment  of  my  severest  grief-,  <tm 
always  forced  to  smile — yon  suffer,  but  look  at  me  !  I  am 
dying.  Well,  then,  Margot,  rouse  thee  ;  courage,  girl  1 
I  ask  thee,  sister,  for  our  name's  honor.  'Tis  an  agony  that 
we  bear  for  the  sake  of  our  house  :  let  us  bear  it,  then,  let 
us  bear  it,  my  beloved  sister,courageously  and  resignedly." 

"  Oh,  mon  Dieu,  mon  Dieu!"  exclaimed  Marguerite. 

"  Yes,"  said  Charles,  following  up  the  train  of  his  re- 
flections, "  yes  the  sacrifice  is  severe,  my  dear  sister  :  but 
every  one  has  his  trials — some  of  their  honor  ;  others,  of 
their  life.  Do  you  suppose,  that,  at  twenty-five,  and  the 
most  splendid  throne  in  the  world,  I  do  not  regret  dying  ? 
Well,  then,  look  at  me !  My  eyes,  my  complexion,  my 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  485 

lips  are  those  of  a  dying  man  ;  yet  my  smile — would  not 
my  smile  make  all  the  world  believe  that  I  still  hope  ? 
Yet  in  a  week,  a  fortnight,  a  month  at  most,  you  will  weep 
for  me,  my  sister  dear,  as  you  do  for  him  who  died  to-day. " 

"Dearest  brother!"  cried  Marguerite,  throwing  her 
arms  round  Charles's  neck. 

"  Come,  dress  yourself,  dear  Marguerite,"  said  the  king  ; 
"  hide  your  paleness,  and  appear  at  the  ball.  I  have 
desired  that  they  should  bring  you  some  new  jewels  and 
ornaments  worthy  of  your  beauty." 

"  Oh,  what  are  jewels  and  ornaments  to  me  now  !  "  ex- 
claimed Marguerite. 

"  Life  is  long,  Marguerite  ! "  said  Charles,  with  a  smile, 
"at  least,  for  you." 

"  No  !  no  ! " 

"Sister,  recollect  one  thing  :  it  is  sometimes  by  stifling, 
or  rather  dissimulating  our  suffering,  that  we  show  most 
honor  to  the  dead." 

"Well,  sire,"  said  Marguerite,  shuddering,  "I  will 
attend  the  ball." 

A  tear,  rapidly  dried  upon  his  parched  eyelid,  moistened 
Charles's  eye  for  a  moment.  He  kissed  his  sister's  brow, 
paused  a  moment  before  Henriette,  who  had  not  seen  or 
heard  him,  and  then  retired,  saying,  as  he  did  so  • 

"  Poor  girl ! " 

"  Get  everything  ready  to  dress  me,  Gillonne,"  said 
Marguerite, 

The  lady-in-waiting  looked  at  her  mistress  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"Yes,"  said  Marguerite,  in  atone  whose  bitterness  is 
indescribable,  "yes,  I  shall  dress  :  I  am  going  to  the  ball 
— they  expect  me.  Make  haste,  then,  the  day  will  then 
be  complete  :  the  fete  at  the  Greve  in  the  morning — the 
f6te  at  the  Louvre  in  the  evening." 

"  And  the  duchess  ?  "  asked  Gillonne. 

"  Ah,  she — she  is  quite  happy  !  She  may  remain  here — 
she  may  weep — suffer  at  her  ease.  She  is  not  a  king's 
daughter,  a  king's  wife,  a  king's  sister  :  she  is  not  a  queen. 
Help  me  to  dress,  Gillonne." 


486  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  young  lady  obeyed.  The  new  ornaments  sent  by 
the  king  were  splendid,  and-the  dresses  gorgeous.  Mar- 
guerite had  never  looked  so  magnificently  beautiful. 

She  looked  at  herself  in  a  glass,  and  said  :  "  My  brother 
is  right — a  human  being  is  a  miserable  creature." 

Gillonne  entered  at  this  moment. 

"Madame,"  she  said,  "here  is  a  man  asking  after 
you." 

"  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  he  is  very  horrid -looking ;  his  very 
appearance  made  me  tremble/' 

"  Go  and  ask  his  name,"  said  Marguerite,  turning  very 
pale. 

Gillonne  went  out,  and  returning  after  a  few  minutes, 
said  : 

"  He  would  not  tell  his  name,  madame,  but  begged  me 
to  give  you  this." 

And  Gillonne  handed  to  Marguerite  the  reliquary  which 
she  had  given  to  La  Mole  the  night  previous. 

"  Oh,  bring  him  hither — bring  him  hither  ! "  said  the 
queen,  eagerly,  and  becoming  even  more  pale  and  her 
features  more  rigid. 

A  heavy  step  was  heard  upon  the  3. oor  and  then  a  man 
appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"You  are ?"  said  the  queen. 

"  He  whom  you  saw  one  day  near  Montfau9on,  madame, 
and  who  conveyed  in  his  tumbril  two  wounded  gentlemen 
to  the  Louvre." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  recognize  you — you  are  Maitre  Caboche." 

"  Executioner  of  the  provostry  of  Paris,  madame." 

These  were  the  only  words  which  Henriette  had  heard 
of  all  those  that  had  been  spoken  around  her  for  the  last 
hour.  She  then  raised  her  pale  face  from  her  two  hands, 
and  looked  at  the  headsman  with  her  piercing  eyes,  which 
seemed  to  dart  flames. 

"  And  yon  come "  said  Marguerite,  tremulously. 

"  To  remind  you  of  the  promise  made  to  the  youngest 
of  the  two  gentlemen,  him  who  charged  me  to  return  this 
reliquary  to  you.  Do  you  recollect,  madame?" 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  487 

"  Yes,  yes  !"  cried  the  queen,  "  and  never  shall  more 
noble  shade  have  nobler  satisfaction — but  where  is  it  9  " 

"  It  is  at  my  abode,  with  the  body." 

"Why  did  you  not  bring  it  ?  " 

"  I  might  have  been  stopped  at  the  wicket  of  the  Louvre, 
and  compelled  to  open  my  cloak  ;  what  would  nave  been 
said  if  a  head  had  been  discovered  underneath  ?  " 

"  True,  true  ;  keep  it  at  your  house,  and  I  will  come  for 
it  to-morrow." 

' '  To-morrow,  madame — to-morrow  ?  "  said  Maitre  Ca- 
boche,  "  it  may  be  too  late  !  " 

"  And  wherefore  ?  " 

"  Because  the  queen-mother  desired  me  to  keep  for  her 
magic  experiments  the  heads  of  the  first  two  criminals  I 
should  execute." 

"  Oh,  profanation  !  the  heads  of  our  beloved  ! — Hen- 
riette," exclaimed  Marguerite,  running  towards  her  friend, 
whom  she  found  standing  up  as  if  a  spring  had  placed  her 
on  her  feet,  "  Henriette,  my  darling  friend,  do  you  hear 
what  this  man  says  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  what  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

"  We  must  accompany  him  ; "  and  Marguerite  threw  a 
velvet  cloak  over  her  shoulders.  "  Come,  come,"  she  said, 
"  we  shall  see  them  once  more." 

Marguerite  took  Henriette  by  the  arm,  and,  going  down 
the  secret  staircase,  made  a  sign  to  Caboche  to  follow.  At 
the  door  was  her  litter,  and  at  the  wicket  they  found 
Caboche's  servant  with  a  lantern. 

Marguerite's  bearers  were  trustworthy  men,  deaf  and 
dumb,  and  worthier  of  confidence  than  beasts  of  burthen. 

They  entered  the  litter,  and  were  conveyed  onwards, 
until,  suddenly  stopping,  the  headsman  opened  the  door. 

Marguerite  alighted,  and  aided  the  Duchess  de  Nevers. 

In  their  excessive  grief,  which  thus  tried  them  both,  it 
was  the  nervous  temperament  that  now  gained  the  as- 
cendant over  the  more  powerfully  organized  frame. 

"  You  may  enter,  ladies,"  said  Caboche  ;  "  everybody  is 
asleep  in  the  tower." 

At  the  same  moment  the  light  in  the  two  windows  was 


488  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

extinguished,  and  the  two  ladies,  clinging  to  each  other, 
passed  under  the  gothic  door,  and  went  along  in  darkness 
over  a  rugged  and  slippery  pavement. 

Caboche,  with  a  torch  in  his  hand,  led  them  into  a  cham- 
ber, low  and  blackened  with  smoke. 

In  a  conspicuous  place  was  nailed  to  the  wall  a  parch- 
ment sealed  with  the  king's  seal  :  it  was  the  headsman's 
brevet. 

In  a  corner  was  a  large  sword,  with  a  long  handle :  it 
was  the  flaming  sword  of  justice. 

Here  and  there  were  seen  several  large  images,  represent- 
ing saints  under  different  kinds  of  martyrdom. 

Having  arrived  here,  Caboche  made  a  low  bow. 

"  Your  majesty  will  pardon  me,"  he  said,  "  if  I  have 
dared  to  penetrate  to  the  Louvre  and  conduct  you  hither  ; 
but  it  was  the  last  and  earnest  wish  of  the  gentlemen  ; 
so—" 

"You  have  done  well,  maitre,"  said  Marguerite,  "and 
this  will  recompense  your  zealous  service." 

Caboche  eyed  sorrowfully  the  purse,  well  filled  with  gold, 
which  Marguerite  placed  on  the  table. 

"  Gold  !  gold  !  always  gold  ! "  he  muttered.  "  Alas, 
madame,  why  cannot  I  redeem  at  the  price  of  gold  the 
blood  I  have  been  compelled  to  shed  to-day  !" 

"  Maitre,"  replied  Marguerite,  with  painful  hesitation, 
"  I  do  not  see — 

Caboche  took  the  flambeau,  opened  an  outer  door,  which, 
opening  on  to  the  staircase,  led  by  a  few  steps  into  a  cellar. 
At  the  same  moment  a  current  of  air  passed,  which  drove 
several  sparks  out  of  the  torch,  and  brought  up  with  it  the 
nauseous  smell  of  damp  and  blood. 

Henriette,  white  as  a  marble  statue,  leaned  on  the  arm 
of  her  friend,  who  moved  with  a  more  assured  step  ;  but 
at  the  first  stair  she  staggered. 

"  I  shall  never  be  able "  she  exclaimed. 

"  When  one  loves  well,  Henriette,"  replied  the  queen, 
"  we  love  even  beyond  death  itself." 

It  was  a  horrid  and  touching  sight  to  see  those  two 
women,  resplendent  in  youth,  beauty,  and  attire,  bending 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  489 

under  this  sordid  and  chalky  vault,  the  weaker  leaning  on 
the  stronger,  and  the  stronger  clinging  to  the  headsman's 
arm. 

They  reached  the  lowest  step. 

On  the  floor  of  this  cellar  lay  two  human  forms,  covered 
with  a  targe  cloth  of  black  serge. 

Caboche  raised  a  corner  of  this  mort-cloth,  and  lower- 
ing his  torch,  said  : 

"  Look,  your  majesty  !  " 

In  their  black  attire,  the  two  young  men  lay  side  by 
side,  in  the  fearful  symmetry  of  death.  Their  heads,  placed 
close  on  their  bodies,  seemed  only  divided  from  them  by  a 
red  circle  round  the  neck.  Death  had  not  separated  their 
hands,  for  either  by  accident,  01  the  pious  attention  of  the 
headsman,  the  right  hand  of  La  Mole  reposed  in  the  left 
hand  of  Coconnas. 

There  was  a  look  of  love  beneath  the  eyelids  of  La  Mole  ; 
there  was  a  smile  of  disdain  under  those  of  Coconnas. 

Marguerite  knelt  down  beside  her  lover,  and,  with  her 
hands  glittering  with  jewels,  gently  raised  the  head  of  him 
she  had  loved  so  well. 

The  Duchess  de  Nevers,  leaning  against  the  wall,  could 
not  take  her  eyes  off  that  pale  face  she  had  so  often  gazed 
upon  with  joy  and  love. 

"La  Mole  !  dearest  La  Mole  !"  murmured  Marguerite. 

"  Annibal  !  Annibal  \"  cried  the  duchess.  "So  hand- 
gome,  so  proud,  so  brave,  why  dost  thou  not  answer  me  ?  " 
and  a  torrent  of  tears  gushed  from  her  eyes. 

Marguerite  then  put  into  a  bag,  embroidered  with  pearls 
and  perfumed  with  the  finest  essences,  the  head  of  La 
Mole,  which  looked  still  more  striking  when  in  contact 
with  the  velvet  and  gold,  and  whose  beauty  a  peculiar 
preparation,  used  at  the  period  in  royal  embalmings,  could 
not  fail  to  preserve. 

Henriette  folded  the  head  of  Coconnas  in  the  skirt  of 
her  mantle.  And  both,  bending  beneath  their  poignant 
sorrow,  ascended  the  stairs,  after  one  last  lingering  look 
at  the  loved  remains  they  left  to  the  mercy  of  an  execu- 
tioner, in  this  gloomy  den  of  common  criminals. 


490  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  Fear  nothing,  madame,"  said  Caboche,  who  compre- 
hended the  look  ;  "  the  gentlemen  shall  be  buried  in  holy 
ground  :  this  I  swear  to  you." 

"  And  have  masses  said  for  their  souls,  which  this  will 
pay  for,"  said  Henriette,  taking  from  her  neck  a  magnifi- 
cent necklace  of  rubies,  which  she  gave  to  the  headsman. 

They  returned  to  the  Louvre,  and  the  queen,  going  to 
her  own  apartments,  deposited  the  melancholy  relic  in  the 
cabinet  of  her  bedchamber,  destined  from  that  moment  to 
become  an  oratory  ;  then,  leaving  Henriette  in  her  room, 
the  queen,  paler  and  lovelier  than  ever,  about  ten  o'clock 
entered  the  splendid  ball-room — tKe  scene  in  which  we 
commenced  the  first  chapter  of  this  our  history,  two  years 
and  a  half  previously. 

All  eyes  were  turned  towards  her,  and  she  supported 
the  universal  gaze  with  a  proud  and  almost  joyous  look, 
for  she  had  religiously  accomplished  the  dying  wish  of  the 
beloved  of  her  heart. 

Charles,  when  he  saw  her,  passed  through  the  gilded 
throng,  and  said  aloud  : 

"  Thanks,  my  dear  sister  !  "  and  then,  in  a  lower  tone  : 
"  Mind  1  you  have  a  spot  of  blood  upon  your  arm." 

"  What  consequence  is  that,  sire,  if  I  have  but  a  smile 
upon  my  lips  ?  " 


CHAPTEK  LXII. 

THE   SWEAT   OF   BLOOD. 

SOME  days  after  the  terrible  scene  we  have  related,  that 
is,  on  the  30th  of  May,  1574,  the  court  was  at  Vincennes, 
when  suddenly  a  great  noise  was  heard  in  the  antecham- 
ber of  the  king,  who  had  been  ill  in  the  midst  of  a  grand 
ball  he  had  given  the  very  day  of  the  young  men's  execu- 
tion, and  by  advice  of  his  physicians  had  come  to  Vin- 
cennes for  change  of  air. 

It  was  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  a  small  group  of 
courtiers  was  assembled  in  the  antechamber,  when  the 


MARGUEEITE  DE  VALOIS.  491 

nurse  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  royal  apartment,  cry- 
ing : 

"  Help  !  help  !  the  king  is  dying  ! " 

"The  king  is  worse,  then  ?"  said  De  Nancey,  whom, 
as  we  have  seen,  Charles  had  attached  to  his  own  person. 

"  Oh,  summon  the  doctors  !  summon  the  doctors  ! " 
cried  the  nurse. 

Mazille  and  Ambroise  Pare"  attended  the  king  by  turns, 
and  Pare,  having  seen  Charles  fall  asleep,  had  profited  by 
the  opportunity  to  retire  for  a  few  moments. 

Meantime,  Charles  had  broken  into  a  profuse  perspira- 
tion, and  as  he  suffered  from  a  relaxation  of  the  capillary 
vessels,  which  occasions  hemorrhage  of  the  skin,  thic 
strange  appearance  had  alarmed  the  nurse,  who,  being  a 
Protestant,  declared  it  was  a  judgment  for  the  blood  shed 
in  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  Every  one  hastened 
in  search  of  the  doctor,  in  order  to  display  his  zeal  and 
activity. 

A  door  suddenly  opened,  and  Catherine  appeared  ;  she 
traversed  the  antechamber,  and  entered  the  king's  apart- 
ment. 

Charles  was  lying  across  the  bed,  his  eyes  closed,  and 
his  chest  heaving ;  his  body  was  covered  with  a  reddish 
perspiration,  and  from  the  end  of  each  finger  hung  a  drop 
of  blood. 

At  the  sound  of  steps  Charles  looked  up,  and  beheld  his 
mother. 

"Excuse  me,  madame,"  said  he,  "  I  would  fain  die  in 
peace." 

"Die!"  replied  Catherine;  "do  not  thus  be  discour- 
aged, this  is  a  passing  attack." 

"  I  tell  you,  mort  de  tout  les  diables  !  I  am  dying — I 
know  it,  and  I  feel  it  ! " 

"  Sire,"  said  the  queen,  "  your  mind  is  diseased  ;  since 
the  death  of  those  two  assassins,  La  Mole  and  Coconnas, 
your  bodily  sufferings  ought  to  have  abated,  and  as  for 
your  mental  anguish,  if  I  had  ten  minutes'  conversation 
with  you,  I  could  prove " 

" Nurse,"  interrupted  Charles,  "let  no  one  enter  :  the 


492  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

Queen  Catherine  de  Medicis  wishes  to  speak  with  her 
beloved  son,  Charles  the  Ninth." 

The  nurse  obeyed. 

"  This  interview  must  have  taken  place/'  continued  he, 
"sooner  or  later,  and  perhaps  to-morrow  it  may  be  too 
late,  but  a  third  person  must  be  present/' 

"Why?" 

"  Because,  I  repeat,"  said  Charles,  with  a  terrible  so- 
lemnity, "  Death  is  at  the  door  of  this  chamber,  and  may 
enter  one  moment  from  another,  and  it  is  time  to  put  my 
affairs  in  order." 

"  And  who  is  this  third  person  ?  " 

"My  brother/ 

'  Sire  "  said  the  queen,  "  I  see  with  pleasure  that  these 
denunciations,  dictated  by  hate  rather  than  pain,  have  not 
left  any  prejudice  on  your  mind.  Nurse — nurse  !" 

The  nurse  appeared. 

"Nurse," said  Catherine,  "when  M.  de  Nancey  comes, 
order  him  in  the  king's  name  to  summon  M.  d'Alengon." 

Charles  made  a  sign  to  the  nurse  to  stay. 

"  I  said  my  brother, '  repeated  he. 

Catherine's  eyes  glistened  with  rage,  but  an  imperious 
gesture  of  Charles  stopped  her. 

"  I  wish  to  speak  with  my  brother  Henry  of  Navarre," 
continued  he  ;  "he  alone  is  my  brother." 

"And  do  you  think,"  cried  the  queen,  daring  (so  great 
was  her  hate  to  Henry)  to  brave  Charles's  anger,  "  do  you 
think,  that  if  you  are  really,  as  you  say,  dying,  I  will  suffer 
a  stranger  to  usurp  my  right  as  a  queen  and  as  a  mother, 
to  be  present  at  your  last  moments  ?  " 

"  Madame,"  said  Charles,  "  I  am  yet  king — I  yet  com- 
mand ;  and  if  you  will  not  summon  Henry,  I  have  yet 
strength  enough  left  to  fetch  him  myself." 

And  Charles  half  rose  from  the  bed. 

"  Sire,"  cried  Catherine,  detaining  him,  "  think  what 
you  do — as  for  me,  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  etiquette 
alike  bid  me  stay." 

"  By  what  title  do  you  stay  ?" 

"  By  that  of  your  mother." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  493 

"  Yon  are  no  more  my  mother  than  D'Alen9on  is  my 
brother." 

"  Yon  rave  !  when  did  I  forfeit  that  title  ?  " 

"When  you  took  away  that  which  you  gave." 

"  What  mean  you,  Charles  ?  I  do  not  understand  you/' 
murmured  Catherine,  all  amazement. 

Charles  felt  under  his  pillow,  and  drew  forth  a  small 
silver  key. 

"Take  this  key,  open  my  traveling-casket  there,  and 
you  will  find  papers  that  will  speak  for  me." 

Charles  pointed  to  a  casket  of  carved  oak,  fastened  with 
a  silver  lock,  that  stood  in  the  center  of  the  apartment. 

Catherine,  controlled,  spite  of  herself,  by  Charles's 
terrible  look,  opened  the  casket ;  but  no  sooner  had  she 
done  so,  then  she  recoiled,  as  if  she  had  seen  a  serpent  in- 
side it. 

"  What  do  you  see  that  alarms  you,  madame  ?  "  asked 
Charles. 

"No thing,"  said  Catherine. 

"  Then  put  your  hand  in,  and  give  me  a  book  ;  for  there 
is  one  there — is  there  not  ?" 

"  Yes,"  faltered  Catherine. 

"  A  book  of  venerie  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Bring  it  to  me." 

Catherine,  trembling  in  every  limb,  did  as  he  bade  her. 

"  Fatality  ! "  murmured  she. 

"  Listen,"  continued  Charles.  "  This  book — I  was 
foolish — I  loved  the  chase  above  everything — I  read  this 
book  too  much.  Do  you  understand  ?  " 

Catherine  uttered  a  suppressed  groan, 

"It  was  a  folly!"  said  Charles.  "Burn  it,  madame, 
the  world  must  not  know  the  weaknesses  of  kings." 

Catherine  advanced  to  the  fire,  cast  the  fatal  book  in, 
and  stood,  motionless  and  haggard,  watching  the  blue 
flames  that  devoured  the  poisoned  leaves  of  the  volume. 

As  it  burned,  a  strong  odor,  like  garlic,  pervaded  the 
apartment. 

It  was  soon  entirely  consumed. 


494  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  And  now,  madanie,"  said  the  king,  with  irresistible 
majesty,  "  summon  my  brother  Henry/' 

Catherine,  overwhelmed,  crushed  beneath  a  complicated 
emotion  she  could  not  analyze,  quitted  the  room. 

"  Curse  him  !  "  cried  she,  as  she  passed  the  threshold, 
"  he  triumphs — he  reaches  the  goal  !  Curse  him  ! — curse 
him!" 

"  Henry  1 — my  brother  Henry  ! "  cried  Charles,  follow- 
ing his  mother  with  his  voice  ;  "  I  wish  to  see  him  in- 
stantly, to  speak  about  the  regency." 

At  this  moment,  Ambroise  Pare  entered  by  the  opposite 
door. 

"  Who  has  been  burning  arsenic  here  ?  "  said  he. 

"  I  have,"  replied  Charles. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

THE  PLATFOEM  OF  THE  DONJON  AT  VLN'CEITN'ES. 

HENRY  OF  NAVAEKE  was  walking  along  on  the  terrace 
of  the  donjon.  He  knew  the  court  was  at  the  ch&teau, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  he  could  see,  through  the  walls, 
Charles  on  his  death-bed.  It  was  a  summer's  eve.  A 
broad  ray  of  light  bathed  the  distant  plains,  and  gilded 
the  stems  of  the  old  oaks  in  the  forest. 

But  it  was  not  on  these  objects  thab  Henry  fixed  his  atten- 
tion ;  he  was  gazing,  in  thought,  on  the  capital  of  France. 

"  Paris  1 "  murmured  he—"  Paris  !  where  is  the  Louvre 
— the  Louvre,  where  is  the  throne  1  and  here  do  these 
ramparts  shut  me  out  from  thee,  to  confine  me  with  my 
mortal  enemy  ! " 

As  his  thoughts  wandered  from  Paris  back  to  Vincennes, 
he  saw  on  the  left,  in  a  valley,  a  man  whose  cuirass 
sparkled  in  the  sunbeams.  This  man  was  on  a  splendid 
charger,  and  led  another. 

The  king  fixed  hig  eyes  on  this  cavalier,  and  saw  him 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  495 

draw  his  sword,  place  his  handkerchief  on  it,  and  wave  it 
in  the  air.  Instantly  the  signal  was  repeated  from  the 
next  hill ;  and  continued  until  the  king  saw  it  extend  all 
round  the  chateau. 

It  was  De  Mouy  and  his  Huguenots,  who,  knowing  the 
king  was  dying,  and  fearing  lest  Henry's  life  should  be  in 
danger,  had  collected,  and  were  ready  to  defend  him. 

Henry  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  and  recognizing 
the  cavalier  : 

"De  Mouy  !"  cried  he,  as  though  his  friend  could  hear 
him. 

And  he  hastily  undid  his  scarf,  and  waved  it  in  return. 

All  the  handkerchiefs  were  again  waved. 

"  Ah,  they  wait  for  me  !  "  said  he.  "  I  cannot  join 
them.  Why  did  I  not  do  so  when  it  was  in  my  power  !  " 

And  he  made  a  despairing  gesture,  that  De  Mouy  re- 
turned by  another,  which  meant,  "I  will  wait." 

At  this  moment  Henry  heard  steps  on  the  stairs  :  he  dis- 
appeared ;  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the  troop  outside  disap- 
peared also. 

Henry  saw,  and  not  without  a  secret  dread,  his  mortal 
foe,  Catherine  de  Medicis,  appear  on  the  terrace. 

"  Oh,"  thought  he,  "  it  must  be  something  important, 
indeed,  that  makes  her  come  and  seek  me  on  the  platform 
of  the  donjon  of  Vincennes." 

Catherine  sat  down  on  a  stone  bench,  to  recover  her 
breath. 

Henry  approached  her. 

"  Are  you  seeking  me,  madame  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Catherine  ;  "  I  wished  to  give  you  a 
proof  of  my  attachment — the  king  desires  to  see  you." 

"  Me  ?  " 

"  Yes.  He  thinks  that  not  content  with  desiring  the 
throne  of  Navarre,  you  covet  that  of  France  also." 

"  Oh,  madame  ! " 

' '  I  know  it  is  not  true,  but  he  believes  it,  and  lays  a 
snare  for  you." 

"What  will  he,  then,  offer  me  ?" 

"How  do  I  know  ? — impossibilities, "perhaps." 


496  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"But  have  yon  no  idea  ? " 

"No  ;  but  suppose,  for  instance        * 

"  What  ?  " 

"  Suppose,  Henry,  he  were  to  offer  you  a  temptation — 
the  regency  ! " 

Henry  felt  a  thrill  of  joy  pervade  him,  but  he  saw  the 
snare,  and  avoided  it. 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  the  trick  would  be  too  palpable  ;  offer 
me  the  regency,  when  there  is  yourself,  when  there  is 
D'Alenson  ! » 

"  You  will  refuse  it,  then  ?  "  replied  Catherine. 

"  The  king  is  dead,"  thought  Henry  ;  "  she  has  laid  a 
trap  for  me. — I  must  hear  what  the  king  says,  madame, 
for  you  know  all  this  is  but  supposition." 

"  Doubtless  ;  but  you  can  tell  me  your  intentions. " 

"  Mon  Dieu ! "  said  Henry,  "  I  have  no  pretensions,  and 
so  can  have  no  intentions." 

"  That  is  no  answer,"  replied  Catherine;  "but  to  be 
short  with  you — for  there  is  no  time  to  lose — if  you 
accept  the  regency  you  are  a  dead  man." 

"The  king  lives,"  thought  Henry.  "Madame,"  said 
he,  firmly,  "  God  will  inspire  me,  for  the  hearts  of  kings 
are  in  His  hands.  I  am  ready  to  see  his  majesty." 

"  Eeflect,  monsieur  !  " 

"  During  two  years  that  I  have  been  persecuted,  and  a 
month  that  I  have  been  a  prisoner,  I  have  had  time  for 
reflection  and  I  have  reflected.  Favor  me,  therefore,  by 
informing  the  king  of  my  coming.  These  two  guards 
would  prevent  my  escape,  even  did  I  contemplate  flight, 
which  I  do  not." 

Catherine  saw  she  could  do  nothing  more,  and  hastily 
descended. 

No  sooner  had  she  disappeared  than  Henry  made  a  sign 
to  De  Mony,  that  meant,  "Draw  nearer." 

De  Mouy  sprang  into  the  saddle,  and  advanced  within  a 
musket-shot  of  the  chateau. 

Henry  waved  his  hand,  and  hastened  after  the  queen. 

On  the  first  landing  he  found  the  two  sentinels  awaiting 
him. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  497 

A  double  troop  of  Swiss  and  light  horse  guarded  the 
court,  and  to  enter  or  leave  the  chateau  it  was  necessary  to 
traverse  a  double  rank  of  halberds.  Catherine  was  wait- 
ing there  for  him. 

"  Look  !  "  said  she,  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm.  "  This 
court  has  two  gates ;  at  this,  behind  the  king's  apart- 
ment, if  you  refuse  the  regency,  a  good  horse  and  free- 
dom await  you.  If  you  follow  the  dictates  of  ambition — 
what  say  you  ?  " 

"  I  say  that  if  the  king  makes  me  regent,  I,  and  not  you, 
shall  command  these  soldiers." 

"  Madman  !  "  murmured  Catherine  ;  "  be  warned,  and 
do  not  play  at  life  and  death  with  me  ! " 

"Why  not?"  said  Henry,  "since,  up  to  this  time,  I 
have  been  the  gainer." 

"  Go  to  the  king's  apartments,  sir,  since  you  will  not 
listen  to  me,"  said  Catherine,  pointing  to  the  stairs  with 
one  hand,  whilst  the  other  sought  the  handle  of  one  of 
the  poisoned  daggers  she  wore  at  her  girdle  in  the  shag- 
reen case  which  has  become  historical. 

"  Pass  before  me,  madame,"  said  Henry ;  "  until  I 
am  regent,  you  have  the  precedence." 

Catherine,  foiled  at  every  point,  made  no  resistance, 
but  ascended  the  stairs  before  Henry. 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

THE   REGENCY. 

THE  king  had  become  impatient,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  sending  De  Nancey  in  search  of  Henry,  when  the  latter 
appeared. 

On  seeing  him,  Charles  uttered  a  cry  of  joy.  The  two 
doctors  and  the  priest,  who  were  with  the  king,  instantly 
rose  and  quitted  the  chamber. 

Charles  was  not  greatly  beloved,  and  yet  all  the  cour- 
tiers in  the  antechambers  were  weeping.  At  the  death  of 
32 


498  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOI8. 

every  king,  good  or  bad,  there  are  some  persons  who  fear 
they  shall  lose  by  it. 

Charles  smiled  mournfully. 

"Come  here,  Harry,"  said  he,  holding  out  his  hand  to 
him ;  "  come  here.  I  was  unhappy  at  not  seeing  you, 
for,  believe  me,  I  have  often  reproached  myself  with  hav- 
ing tormented  you  ;  but  a  king  cannot  control  events,  and, 
besides,  my  mother  and  D'Anjou  and  D'Alen9on,  and 
something  else,  which  now  that  I  am  dying  does  not  influ- 
ence me,  influenced  me  then — state  policy." 

"  Sire,"  replied  Henry,  "  I  only  recollect  the  love  I  bear 
you  as  my  brother/* 

"  Ah,  you  are  right  to  think  thus,  and  I  am  grateful  to 
you  for  it,"  said  Charles.  "  But  let  us  not  think  of  the 
past,  but  of  the  future,  for  it  is  that  I  am  alarmed  about." 

And  the  poor  king  hid  his  face  in  his  hands. 

After  a  moment's  silence,  he  continued  : 

'*  We  must  save  the  state — we  must  not  let  it  fall  into 
the  hands  of  fanatics  or  women." 

Charles  spoke  these  words  in  a  low  tone,  and  yet  Henry 
fancied  he  heard  a  suppressed  exclamation  of  rage." 

"Of  women  ?"  said  he,  anxious  to  provoke  an  explana- 
tion. 

"  Yes,  for  my  mother  would  fain  be  regent  until  D'An- 
jou's  return  ;  but,  I  tell  you,  he  will  not  return." 

"  How,  not  return  ?  "  cried  Henry,  his  heart  beating 
joyfully. 

"  No,  his  subjects  will  not  let  him." 

"  But  do  you  not  think  the  queen-mother  has  already 
written  to  him  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  Nancey  stopped  the  courier  at  Chateau 
Thierry,  and  brought  me  the  letter,  in  which  she  said  I 
was  dying.  I  wrote  to  Warsaw  myself,  and  D'Anjou  will 
be  carefully  watched,  so  that  in  all  probability  the  throne 
will  become  vacant." 

Another  angry  sound  was  heard  behind  the  tapestry. 

"  She  is  there,"  thought  Henry,  "and  is  listening." 

Charles  heard  nothing. 

"I  die  without  male  heirs,"  continued  he. 


MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS.  499 

Then,  stopping  suddenly,  he  looked  at  the  King  of 
Navarre. 

"  Do  you  recollect,  Harry/'  said  he,  "  the  little  boy  I 
showed  you  one  night,  sleeping  peacefully  in  his  cradle, 
and  watched  over  by  an  angel  ?  Alas,  they  will  kill  him 
also!" 

"  Oh  no,  no  !  "  cried  Henry,  with  tears  in  his  eyes  ;  "  I 
swear  to  you  that  I  will  watch  over  and  protect  him  with 
my  life." 

"  Thanks,  Harry,  thanks  ! "  said  the  king  gratefully ; 
"  I  accept  your  promise  ;  do  not  make  him  a  king  (fortu- 
nately, he  is  not  born  to  a  throne),  but  make  him  happy  ; 
I  leave  him  an  ample  fortune,  and  I  am  now  more  resigned 
since  you  have  promised  to  protect  him." 

Henry  reflected. 

"  I  have  promised,"  said  he ;  "  but  can  I  fulfil  my 
word  ?  " 

"  What  mean  you  ?  " 

"  Shall  I  not  be  persecuted,  and  in  more  danger  than  he 
is,  since  I  am  a  man,  and  he  but  an  infant  ?  " 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  said  Charles;  "  after  my  death 
you  shall  be  great  and  powerful." 

At  these  words  he  drew  a  parchment  from  under  his 
pillow. 

"Here  !"  said  he. 

Henry  hastily  glanced  over  the  document. 

"  The  regency  for  me  ?  " 

"Yes,  until  D'Anjou's  return  ;  and,  as  he  will  not  re- 
turn, in  all  probability  it  is  the  throne  I  give  you." 

"  The  throne  ! " 

"You  alone  are  worthy  of  it — you  alone  capable  of 
governing.  D'Alenqon  is  a  traitor — leave  him  in  the 
prison  I  have  consigned  him  to.  My  mother  will  seek  to 
kill  you — banish  her.  D'An jou  will  quit  Poland  in  three 
months,  perhaps  in  a  year,  reply  to  him  by  a  papal  bull. 
I  have  already  arranged  that  matter,  and  you  will  receive 
the  document  shortly." 

"  Oh,  my  king  ! » 

"  You  have  but  one  thing  to  fear— civil  war  ;  but,  bj 

DUMAS— VOL.  III.— 22 


500  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

remaining  converted,  you  will  avoid  that.  The  Protes- 
tants can  do  nothing  unless  you  are  at  their  head,  for 
Cond6  is  comparatively  nothing.  They  say  I  feel  remorse 
for  the  Bartholomew  :  doubts,  yes  ! — remorse,  no  !  They 
say  I  bleed  the  blood  then  shed  at  every  pore  ;  what  flows 
from  me  is  arsenic,  and  not  blood/' 

"  Oh,  what  mean  you,  sire  ?  " 

"  Nothing  ;  God  will,  if  he  think  fit,  avenge  my  death. 
I  leave  you  a  faithful  parliament  and  a  trusty  army. 
They  will  protect  you  against  your  only  enemies — my 
mother  and  D'Alen9on." 

At  this  moment  the  sound  of  arms  was  heard  in  the  ves- 
tibule. 

"  I  am  lost,"  murmured  Henry. 

"  You  fear — you  hesitate/'  said  Charles. 

"No,  I  accept." 

Charles  pressed  his  hand. 

"Nurse,"  cried  he  :  "nurse,  summon  my  mother  and 
M.  d'Alen9on." 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

THE   KING  IS   DEAD  !   GOD  SAVE  THE   KING. 

CATHERINE  and  D'Ale^on  entered  together.  As 
Henry  had  conjectured,  the  queen  had  overheard  all,  and 
had  in  a  few  words  acquainted  D'Alengon  with  what  had 
passed. 

Henry  stood  by  the  head  of  the  king's  bed. 

The  king  commenced  thus  : 

"  Madame,"  said  he,  to  his  mother,  "if  I  had  a  son,  he 
would  be  king,  and  you  would  be  regent ;  in  your  stead, 
did  you  decline,  the  King  of  Poland  ;  in  his  stead,  did  he 
decline,  D'Alenqon  ;  but  I  have  no  son,  and  the  throne 
belongs  to  D'Anjou,  who  is  absent.  I  do  not  choose, 
therefore,  to  place  a  man  almost  his  equal  on  the  throne, 
at  the  risk  of  exciting  a  civil  war  ;  I  do  not,  therefore 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  501 

make  yon  regent,  because  it  would  be  painful  for  you  to 
choose  between  your  two  sons  ;  I  do  not,  therefore,  make 
D'Alenc,  on  regent,  because  he  might  say  to  D'An  jou,  '  You 
had  a  throne, — why  have  you  quitted  it  ? '  No  ;  I  have, 
therefore,  chosen  the  fittest  person  for  regent.  Salute 
him,  madame — salute  him,  D'Alen9on  :  it  is  the  King  of 
Navarre  ! " 

And  with  a  gesture  of  supreme  authority  he  himself 
saluted  Henry  :  Catherine  and  D'Alencon  made  a  motion 
between  a  shudder  and  a  salute. 

"  Here,  my  lord  regent,"  said  Charles,  "  is  the  parch- 
ment that,  until  the  return  of  D'Anjou,  gives  you  the 
command  of  the  kingdom." 

Catherine  devoured  Henry  with  her  eyes ;  D'Alen9on 
turned  deadly  pale,  and  could  hardly  stand. 

Henry,  making  a  violent  effort,  took  the  warrant  from 
Charles,  and  drawing  himself  up  to  his  full  height,  fixed 
his  eyes  on  the  queen,  as  if  to  say,  "  Beware,  I  am  your 
master ! " 

"No,  never!"  said  Catherine  ;  "never  shall  my  race 
yield  to  a  foreign  one  !  Never  shall  a  Bourbon  reign 
whilst  a  Valois  remains  ! " 

"  Mother  !  "  cried  Charles,  sitting  up,  "  I  am  yet  king, 
and  have  strength  enough  to  give  an  order  ;  it  does  not 
require  much  time  to  punish  murderers  and  poisoners." 

"  Give  the  order  if  you  dare — I  will  give  mine  !  " 

And  she  left  the  room,  followed  by  D'Alei^on. 

"  Nancey  !  "  cried  Charles  ;  "  Nancey  ;  arrest  my 
mother  and  brother  ! " 

A  stream  of  blood  choked  his  utterance. 

De  Nancey  entered  ;  he  had  only  heard  his  name  ;  the 
rest  of  the  order  had  not  reached  him. 

"Guard  the  door,"  said  Henry,  "and  let  no  one 
enter ! " 

Nancey  bowed,  and  left  the  apartment.  Henry  looked 
at  the  dying  king. 

"  The  fatal  moment  is  come  ! "  said  he.  "  Shall  I 
reign?  Shall  I  live?" 

"  Live,  sire  ! "  said  a  voice. 


502  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

The  tapestry  of  the  alcove  was  lifted,  and  Rene's  pale 
face  appeared. 

"  Ren6  ?  "  cried  Henry. 

"Yes,  sire." 

"  Your  prediction  was  false,  then — I  shall  not  be 
king  ?  " 

"  You  shall  be  ;  but  the  time  has  not  yet  come." 

"How  do  you  know  ?    Speak  1 " 

"  Listen  ! " 

"I  listen." 

"  Stoop  ! " 

Henry  leaned  over  the  bed,  and  Ren6  did  the  same  ;  be- 
tween them  lay  the  body  of  the  dying  king. 

"  Listen  ! "  said  Ren6.  "  Placed  here  by  the  queen- 
mother  to  undo  you,  I  prefer  to  serve  you  ;  for  I  have 
faith  in  your  horoscope." 

"  Is  it  the  queen-mother  who  bade  you  tell  me  that  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Rene1  ;  "  I  will  tell  you  a  secret :  the  King 
of  Poland  will  soon  be  here  ! " 

"  No — for  the  king  stopped  the  courier  at  Chdteau 
Thierry." 

"  The  queen  had  sent  three,  by  different  routes." 

"  Oh,  I  am  lost ! "  said  Henry. 

"  A  messenger  arrived  this  morning  from  Warsaw.  No 
one  knows  of  Charles's  illness  there  ;  D'Aujou  quitted 
that  city  without  opposition,  and  the  courier  only  pre- 
ceded him  by  a  few  hours." 

"  Oh,  had  I  but  eight  days  !"  muttered  Henry. 

"You  have  not  eight  hours  !  did  you  not  hear  the  noise 
of  the  arms  in  the  vestibule  ?  The  soldiers  will  come  even 
here  to  kill  you." 

"  The  king  is  not  dead  yet." 

' '  No,"  said  Ren6,  "  but  he  will  be  in  ten  minutes  ;  yon 
have  ten  minutes  to  live." 

" What  shall  I  do,  then?" 

"Fly  instantly." 

"  How?   If  I  cross  the  vestibule,  they  will  kill  me  there." 

"  Listen!   I  risk  everything  for  you  ; — do  not  forget  it." 

"  Fear  me  not." 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  503 

"  Follow  me  through  this  passage  ;  it  will  conduct  you 
to  the  postern.  I  will,  to  gain  time,  tell  the  queen  you 
are  coming  ;  they  will  think  afterwards  you  have  discov- 
ered the  secret  door,  and  escaped." 

Henry  stooped,  and  kissed  Charles's  forehead. 

"  Adieu,  my  brother  ; "  said  he  ;  "1  will  not  forget  your 
last  wish  was  to  see  me  king.  Die  in  peace  ;  in  the  name 
of  my  brethren  I  forgive  you  their  blood  you  have  spilt." 

Henry  seized  Charles's  sword,  placed  the  precious  parch- 
ment in  his  breast,  pressed  his  lips  again  to  Charles's  fore- 
head, and  disappeared  by  the  secret  passage. 

"  Nurse  ! "  murmured  the  king  ;  "  nurse  !  " 

"What  do  you  want,  Chariot  ?  "  cried  she. 

"  Nurse,  whilst  I  have  been  sleeping,  something  strange 
has  happened  ;  for  I  see  a  great  light,  and  saints  interced- 
ing with  God  for  me.  Pardon  me,  my  God  !  Pardon  the 
crimes  of  the  king,  in  compassion  for  the  sufferings  of  the 
man  !  I  come  !  I  come  ! " 

And  Charles,  who  had  risen  nearly  to  his  feet,  fell  back 
dead  into  his  nurse's  arms. 

Meantime,  Henry,  guided  by  Ken6,  traversed  the  pas- 
sage, passed  through  the  postern,  and  springing  on  his 
horse,  galloped  towards  De  Mouy. 

The  sentinels,  hearing  the  horse,  moved  forward  and 
cried  : 

"  He  flies— he  flies  ! " 

"  Who  flies  ?  "  said  the  queen. 

"The  King  of  Navarre." 

"  Fire  on  him — fire  !  "  said  the  queen. 

The  sentinels  leveled  their  pieces,  but  the  king  was  out 
of  reach. 

"  He  flies  !"  said  Catherine  ;  he  is  vanquished,  then  ! " 

"  He  flies  !  "  muttered  D'Alen9on  ;  I  am  king,  then  ! " 

But  at  this  moment  the  drawbridge  was  hastily  lowered, 
and  a  young  man  galloped  into  the  court,  followed  by 
four  gentlemen  crying,  "France,  France!" 

"  My  son  ! "  cried  Catherine,  joyfully. 

"  My  mother ! "  replied  the  young  man,  springing  to 
the  ground. 


504  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

"  D'Anjon  !  "  exclaimed  Francois,  thunderstruck. 

"  Am  I  too  late  ?  "  said  Henry  d'Anjou. 

"  No,  you  are  just  in  time — listen  ! " 

At  this  moment  De  Nancey  appeared  at  the  balcony  of 
the  king's  apartment :  all  eyes  were  fixed  on  him. 

He  broke  a  wand  he  held  in  two  pieces,  and  holding  a 
fragment  in  either  hand  : 

"  King  Charles  the  Ninth  is  dead  !  King  Charles  the 
Ninth  is  dead  !  King  Charles  the  Ninth  is  dead  ! "  cried 
he  three  times. 

And  he  let  fall  the  fragments  of  the  wand. 

"  Charles  the  Ninth  is  dead  ! "  said  Catherine,  crossing 
herself ;  "  God  save  Henry  the  Third  ! " 

All  repeated  the  cry,  with  the  exception  of  D'Alenc.on. 

"She  has  betrayed  me/'  said  he. 

"  I  have  conquered,"  cried  Catherine,  "  and  the  odious 
Bearnais  will  not  reign  1 " 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

EPILOGUE. 

A  TEAK  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  Charles  IX.,  and 
the  accession  of  his  successor. 

King  Henry  III.,  happily  reigning  by  the  grace  of  God 
and  his  mother  Catherine,  had  gone  in  a  fine  procession 
in  honor  of  N6tre  Dame  de  Clery. 

He  had  gone  on  foot  with  the  queen,  his  wife,  and  all 
the  court. 

King  Henry  III.  was  able  to  afford  himself  this  little 
pastime,  for  no  serious  business  occupied  him  at  the 
moment :  the  King  of  Navarre  was  in  Navarre,  where  he 
had  so  long  desired  to  be  ;  and  they  said  was  very  much 
taken  up  with  a  beautiful  girl  of  the  blood  of  the  Montmo- 
rencies,  whom  he  called  la  Fosseuse  (dimple-cheek).  Mar- 
guerite was  with  him,  sad  and  gloomy,  and  finding  only 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  505 

in  her  beautiful  mountains,  not  an  amusement,  but  a 
soother  of  the  two  great  griefs  of  human  life — absence 
and  death. 

Paris  was  very  quiet,  and  the  queen-mother,  really  re- 
gent since  her  dear  son  Henry  was  king,  resided  some- 
times at  the  Louvre,  sometimes  at  the  Hotel  de  Soissons. 

One  evening,  when  she  was  deeply  occupied  in  studying 
the  stars  with  Bene,  whose  little  treason  she  had  never 
detected,  and  who  had  been  reinstated  in  her  favor,  after 
the  false  testimony  he  had  so  opportunely  borne  against 
La  Mole  and  Coconnas,  she  was  informed  that  a  man 
desired  to  see  her  who  had  a  matter  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance to  communicate. 

She  went  hastily  to  her  oratory,  and  found  the  Sire  de 
Maurevel. 

"  HE  is  here  ! "  exclaimed  the  ancient  captain  of  the 
Petardiers,  not  giving  Catherine  time  to  address  him, 
according  to  royal  etiquette. 

"  What  HE  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Who  can  it  be,  madame,  but  the  King  of  Navarre  ?  " 

"  Here  ?  "  cried  Catherine.  "  Here  ! — he — Henry  ! — 
and  what  is  the  madman  doing  here  ?" 

"  If  appearances  may  be  trusted,  he  has  come  to  see 
Madame  de  Sauve ;  if  probabilities  are  considered,  he 
comes  to  conspire  against  the  king." 

"  How  did  you  know  he  was  here  ?  " 

' '  Because  I  saw  him  enter  a  house  here  yesterday,  and, 
very  soon  afterwards,  Madame  de  Sauve  joined  him 
there." 

"  Are  you  sure  it  was  he  ?  " 

' '  I  waited  until  he  came  out.  At  three  o'clock,  the 
two  lovers  appeared.  The  king  conducted  Madame  de 
Sauve  to  the  wicket  of  the  Louvre.  There  the  porter, 
who  is  no  doubt  in  her  interest,  admitted  her,  and  she  en- 
tered without  interruption,  and  the  king  returned  hum- 
ming a  tune,  and  with  a  step  as  free  and  unconcerned  as 
if  he  were  amongst  his  mountains  in  Beam." 

"  And  whither  did  he  betake  himself  ?  " 

"  Rue  de  FArbre-Sec,  to  the  hotel  of  the  Belle  Etoile, 


506  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

at  the  same  man's  where  the  two  sorcerers  lodged  whom 
your  majesty  executed  last  year." 

"  Why  did  you  not  come  and  inform  me  the  moment 
you  first  saw  him  ?  " 

"  Because  I  was  not  quite  sure  of  my  man." 

"  Whilst  now- — " 

"  I  am  perfectly  certain." 

"You  saw  him,  then  ?" 

"Perfectly.  I  concealed  myself  at  the  wine  shop  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  saw  him  enter  the  same  place  as 
on  the  previous  night.  Then,  as  Madame  de  Sauve  was 
late,  he  imprudently  put  his  face  against  the  window  on 
the  first-floor,  and  then  I  had  no  further  doubt.  Besides, 
a  few  moments  afterwards,  Madame  de  Sauve  came  and 
rejoined  him." 

"  And  do  you  think  they  will  remain,  as  they  did  last 
night,  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  1 " 

"  It  is  probable." 

"  Where  is  the  house  you  mention  ?  " 

"  Near  the  Croix-des-Petits-Champs,  close  by  Saint 
Honore." 

"  Very  good  !  "  replied  Catherine.  "  Does  Monsieur  de 
Sauve  know  your  handwriting  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Maurevel. 

"Sit  down  there  and  write." 

Maurevel  obeyed. 

"  I  am  ready,  madame,"  said  he. 

Catherine  dictated : 

"  Whilst  the  Baron  de  Sauve  is  on  service  at  the  Louvre, 
his  wife  is  with  her  lover  in  a  house  near  the  Croix-des- 
Petits-Champs,  Rue  Saint  Honore.  The  baron  will  recog- 
nize the  house  by  a  red  cross  on  the  wall." 

"Well?" 

"  Now  make  a  second  copy  of  this  letter." 

Maurevel  did  so. 

"Now,"  continued  the  queen,  "  let  this  billet  be  given 
adroitly  to  the  baron,  and  let  fall  the  other  in  the  corridor 
of  the  Louvre." 

"  1  do  not  understand." 


MARGUERITE  DE  V ALOIS.  507 

Catherine  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"You  do  not  see  that  a  husband  who  receives  such  a 
letter  must  be  angry." 

"In  the  King  of  Navarre's  time  he  was  not  offended." 

"  Do  you  not  know  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
a  king  and  an  exile  ?  Besides,  if  he  is  not  offended,  you 
will  be  for  him." 

"I?" 

"Yes ;  take  four  or  six  men,  masked.  You  burst  open 
the  door — you  surprise  the  lovers — you  strike,  in  the  baron's 
name,  and  the  next  day,  the  letter  found  in  the  Louvre 
proves  that  it  is  the  husband  who  revenged  himself,  only 
it  happened  the  lover  was  the  King  of  Navarre  ;  but  who 
could  think  he  was  there,  when  every  one  believed  he  was 
at  Pau  ?  " 

Maurevel  bowed  and  withdrew. 

Just  as  he  quitted  the  H6tel  de  Soissons,  Madame  de 
Sauve  entered  the  house  of  the  Croix-des-Petits- Champs. 

Henry  was  waiting  for  her. 

"  Have  you  been  followed  ?  "  said  he. 

"  No,"  said  Charlotte,  "not  that  I  know  of." 

"  I  think  I  have  ;  not  only  to-night,  but  last  evening 
also." 

"  Oh,  sire,  you  terrify  me.  I  should  be  inconsolable  if 
anything  were  to  happen  to  you." 

"  Fear  nothing,  love,"  said  the  Bearnais,  "three  faith- 
ful followers  watch  over  me." 

"  Only  three?" 

"  Three  are  sufficient,  when  they  are  called  De  Mouy, 
Sau  court,  and  Barthe'lemy." 

"  De  Mouy  is  then  at  Paris  ?  Has  he,  like  you,  some 
poor  lady  in  love  with  him  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  a  mortal  enemy,  whose  death  he  has  sworn 
to  compass.  Nothing  else  but  hate  makes  men  commit 
such  follies  as  they  commit  in  love." 

"  Thank  you,  sire  !  " 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  speak  of  our  present  follies,  but  those 
past  and  to  come.  But  let  us  leave  off  this  conversation, 
for  my  time  is  short." 


508  MARGUERITE  DE  V  ALOIS. 

"  You  leave  Paris,  then  ?  " 

"  To-night." 

"  Your  affairs  in  Paris  are  finished  ?  * 

"My  only  business  was  to  see  you." 

"  Gascon  ! " 

"  Ma  mie,  it  is  true  ;  but  we  have  a  few  more  hours  to 
pass  together,  and  then  we  separate  forever." 

"  Oh,  Henry,"  said  Charlotte,  "  nothing  but  my  love 
lasts  forever." 

It  was  arranged  that  Henry  should  leave  the  house  at 
twelve  o'clock,  that  he  and  his  companions  should  escort 
Madame  de  Sauve  to  the  Louvre,  and  should  go  from 
thence  to  the  Rue  de  Cerisaie,  where  Maurevel  dwelt. 

The  three  Huguenots  had  been  on  guard  about  an  hour 
when  they  saw  a  man,  followed  at  some  distance  by  five 
others,  approach  the  door  of  the  house,  and  apply  succes- 
sively several  keys  to  the  lock. 

At  this  sight,  De  Mouy  sprang  from  his  concealment, 
and  catching  the  man  by  the  arm  : 

"  Stay  ! "  said  he  ;  "  you  do  not  enter  there  !  " 

The  man  started,  and  his  hat  fell  off. 

"  De  Mony  de  Saint-Phale  !"  cried  he. 

"  Maurevel  ! "  thundered  the  Huguenot,  brandishing 
his  sword  ;  "  I  sought  you,  and  you  come  to  find  me  ! " 

But  he  did  not  forget  Henry,  and  turning  to  the  window, 
he  whistled  like  the  Bearnese  shepherds. 

"That  is  sufficient,"  said  he  to  Saucourt. 

"  Now  then,  murderer  ! " 

Maurevel  had  time  to  draw  a  pistol  from  his  belt,  and 
leveling  it  at  the  young  man  : 

"This  time,"  said  the  king's  slayer,  "you  are  dead." 

But  De  Mouy  sprang  on  one  side,  and  the  ball  passed 
by  him. 

"  It  is  my  turn  now  ! "  cried  he  ;  and  he  dealt  Maurevel 
so  terrible  a  thrust  with  his  rapier,  that  it  traversed  his 
thick  buff  belt,  and  inflicted  a  severe  wound. 

Maurevel  uttered  so  piercing  a  cry,  that  his  followers 
thought  he  was  killed,  and  ran  away  down  the  Eue  St. 
HonorS. 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  509 

Manrevel,  seeing  himself  abandoned,  took  to  flight,  cry- 
ing, "  Help  !  help  I " 

De  Mouy,  Saucourt,  and  Barthdlemy  pursued  him 
hotly. 

As  they  entered  the  Eue  de  Grenelle,  a  man  sprang  out 
of  a  window  on  the  first-floor. 

It  was  Henry. 

Warned  by  De  Mouy's  signal,  and  by  the  report  of  the 
pistol,  that  something  had  occurred,  he  hastened  to  the 
assistance  of  his  friends. 

Active  and  vigorous,  he  dashed  after  them  sword  in 
hand. 

A  cry  guided  him ;  it  came  from  the  Barrier  des  Ser- 
gens ;  it  was  Maurevel,  who,  hard  pressed  by  De  Mouy, 
called  again  for  help. 

He  was  forced  to  turn,  or  else  be  run  through  the  back  : 
he  turned,  therefore,  and  thrust  fiercely  at  De  Mouy,  and 
pierced  his  scarf ;  De  Mouy  lounged  in  his  turn,  and  a 
second  time  wounded  him. 

"  At  him — at  him  !  "  cried  Henry. 

De  Mouy  needed  no  exhortation  :  he  charged  Maurevel 
again,  who,  pressing  his  hand  over  his  wound,  took  to  flight 
once  more. 

1  Kill  him  quickly  !"  cried  the  king.  "  Here  are  the 
soldiers  ! " 

Maurevel,  breathless  and  exhausted  could  go  no  further  ; 
he  fell  on  one  knee,  and  presented  his  sword-point  to  De 
Mouy. 

"  They  are  only  two  ! "  cried  he.     "  Fire — fire  ! " 

Sancourt  and  Barthelemy  had  been  carried  away  in  pur- 
suit of  the  other  soldiers,  so  that  De  Mouy  and  the  king 
found  themselves  opposed  to  four  men. 

"  Fire  ! "  cried  Maurevel,  whilst  one  of  the  soldiers  pre- 
pared his  arquebuss. 

"  Yes  ;  but  first  die — assassin,  murderer,  traitor — die  ! " 

So  saying,  De  Mouy  seized  Maurevel's  sword  with  one 
hand,  and  plunged  his  own  so  violently  into  his  breast, 
that  he  pinned  him  to  the  earth. 

"  Take  care — take  care  1 "  cried  Henry. 


510  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

De  Mouy  sprang  back,  leaving  his  sword  in  the  body  of 
Maurevel,  for  a  soldier  was  in  the  act  of  firing  at  him. 

Henry  instantly  passed  his  sword  through  the  soldier's 
body,  who  fell,  uttering  a  cry. 

The  two  others  betook  themselves  to  flight. 

"  Come,  De  Mouy,  come  ! "  said  Henry.  "  We  have  not 
a  moment  to  lose  ;  if  we  are  recognized,  we  are  lost ! " 

"  One  moment,  sire,  whilst  I  recover  my  sword.  You 
do  not  suppose  I  would  leave  it  sticking  in  the  body  of  that 
wretch  ! " 

He  went  towards  Maurevel,  who  lay,  to  all  appearance, 
deprived  of  motion,  but  the  moment  that  De  Mouy  laid 
his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  the  sword  which  had  remained  in 
his  body,  he  raised  himself,  with  the  petronel  in  his  hand, 
which  the  soldier  had  dropped  as  he  fell,  and  placing  the 
muzzle  full  against  De  Mouy's  breast,  pulled  the  trigger. 

De  Mouy  fell  without  a  cry.     He  was  killed  outright. 

Henry  rushed  towards  Maurevel,  but  he  had  fallen  again, 
and  the  king's  sword  pierced  only  a  dead  carcase. 

It  was  necessary  for  him  to  flee  ;  the  noise  had  attracted 
a  great  number  of  persons,  and  the  guard  might  arrive. 
Henry  then  looked  about  him,  to  see  if  there  was  a  face 
he  knew,  and  gave  a  cry  of  joy,  as  he  recognized  Maitre 
la  Huriere. 

"  My  dear  La  Huriere,  look  after  De  Mouy,  I  pray  you  ; 
although  I  have  great  fear  that  he  is  past  hope.  Have  him 
taken  to  your  house,  and  if  he  still  lives,  spare  no  expense 
— here  is  my  purse  :  as  to  the  other,  leave  the  scoundrel 
to  rot  in  the  kennel  like  a  dog  ! " 

"  Bnt  yourself  ?  "  said  La  Huriere. 

"  I  have  a  farewell  to  make.  I  will  hasten,  and  be  back 
with  you  in  ten  minutes.  Have  my  horses  ready." 

Henry  then  hastened  away  in  the  direction  of  the  little 
house  in  the  Croix-des-Petits-Champs  ;  but  as  he  turned 
the  corner,  he  stopped,  in  great  alarm. 

There  was  a  great  crowd  before  the  door. 

"  What  has  happened  in  this  house  ?  "  inquired  Henry. 

"  Oh/'  replied  a  bystander,  "  a  terrible  affair,  sir  !  A 
beautiful  lady  has  been  stabbed  by  her  husband,  to  whom 


MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS.  5H 

some  one  had  sent  a  note,  informing  him  that  she  was 
there  with  her  lover." 

"  And  the  husband  ?  "  cried  Henry. 

"Has  gone." 

"  The  wife  ?  " 

"  Is  there  still." 

"  Dead  ?  " 

"  Not  yet ;  but  there  is  no  hope." 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  Henry,  "  cursed  fate ! "  and  he  rushed 
into  the  house. 

The  room  was  filled  with  people,  all  surrounding  the 
bed  on  which  lay  poor  Charlotte,  stabbed  with  two  blows 
of  a  poniard.  Her  husband,  who  had  for  two  years  con- 
cealed his  jealousy  of  Henry,  had  seized  this  opportunity 
of  avenging  himself. 

"  Charlotte,  Charlotte ! "  cried  Henry,  falling  on  his 
knees  at  the  bedside. 

Charlotte  opened  her  beautiful  eyes,  already  veiled  by 
death,  and  gave  a  cry  which  made  the  blood  flow  from  her 
two  wounds  ;  and  making  an  effort  to  rise,  she  said  : 

"  Oh,  I  was  sure  I  could  not  die  without  seeing  him 
once  more  ! " 

And,  as  if  she  had  awaited  the  moment  of  Henry's  com- 
ing to  die,  she  pressed  her  lips  on  the  King  of  Navarre's 
forehead,  and  murmuring  for  the  last  time,  "  I  love  thee  !  " 
fell  back,  and  expired. 

Henry  could  not  remain  a  moment  longer  without  his 
life  being  in  jeopardy.  He  drew  his  dagger,  cut  off  one 
of  those  long  and  fair  tresses  he  had  so  often  admired  and 
pressed  to  his  lips,  and  sobbing  bitterly,  amidst  the  sobs 
of  the  lookers-on,  who  had  no  idea  that  their  sympathies 
were  excited  for  persons  of  such  high  estate,  left  the  room. 

"Friend,  mistress,"  cried  Henry,  in  despair;  "all  for- 
sake me,  all  leave  me,  all  fail  me  at  once  !  " 

"  Yes,  sire,"  said  a  man  who  had  quitted  the  group  be- 
fore the  house,  and  followed  Henry  :  "  but  the  throne  is 
still  left  to  you." 

"  Rene  !  "  cried  Henry. 

"  Yes,  sire,  Rene — who  still  watches  over  you.     The 


512  MARGUERITE  DE  VALOIS. 

wretch  Map.revel  named  you  as  he  died.  They  know  yon 
are  in  Paris — the  archers  are  seeking  for  you — fly  !  fly  !  " 

"And  yet  you  say,  Rene,  that  I,  a  fugitive,  shall  be 
king?" 

''Look,  sire/'  said  the  Florentine,  pointing  out  to  the 
king  a  star  which  appeared  alone,  brilliant  amongst  the 
folds  of  a  golden  cloud  ;  "  it  is  not  I  who  say  so,  but  that  !  " 

Henry  heaved  a  sigh  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 


THE    EifD. 


6 


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